Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

Research Strategy Applicable from 2019

DEL XX SEKSJONSTITTEL

3

Preface

The Arctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the globe and the Svalbard region is warming at the fastest rate within the circumpolar Arctic Thus Ny-Aringlesund represent a key site for observing effects of the warming that is occurring and for undertaking research regarding how such changes influence the region and the globe

Norway has facilitated international polar research in Svalbard for more than 50 years The Ny-Aringlesund Research Station is one of the worldrsquos northernmost year-round research communities and provides a unique access to a natural polar laboratory It is an important Norwegian platform for international Arctic research and it is important for several Norwegian and global monitoring programs that contribute to international agreements and conventions

Svalbard research is characterised by a high degree of interna-tional collaboration In Ny-Aringlesund more than 20 research institutes have long-term research and monitoring activities The station is one of four research communities in Svalbard (Ny-Aringlesund Longyearbyen Barentsburg and Hornsund) Close cooperation between these communities is essential for the further development of Ny-Aringlesund

In 2016 the Norwegian Government announced (MeldSt32 (2015-2016)) the development of a research strategy for the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station Guidelines and principles for research activity were established by the government in 2018 in the Strategy for research and higher education in Svalbard The Research Council of Norway was given the responsibility for developing a research strategy in cooperation with relevant stakeholders research institutions and ministries

The ambition has been to make a research strategy that clearly defines expectations regarding quality cooperation openness data-sharing and sharing of results at the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station High-quality research is already the norm in Ny-Aringlesund The intention of this strategy is to contribute to release the full potential of the Ny-Aringlesund research and collaboration and thereby increase the impact of this research even further

In developing this first research strategy for Ny-Aringlesund input from interested parties has been valuable and important We are also depending on your cooperation in the future for developing the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

Oslo April 2019

John-Arne RoslashttingenChief Executive

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The Research Council of Norway is a national strategic and funding agency for research activities The Council serves as the key advisor on research policy issues to the Norwegian Government the government ministries and other central institutions and groups involved in research and development (RampD) The Research Council also works to increase financial investment in and raise the quality of Norwegian RampD and to promote innovation in a collaborative effort between the

research community trade and industry and the public administration It is the task of the Research Council to identify Norwayrsquos research needs and recommend national priorities and to use different funding schemes to help to translate national research policy goals into action The Research Council provides a central meeting place for those who fund carry out and utilise research and works actively to promote the internationalisation of Norwegian research

About the Research Council of Norway

Contents

1 Vision and Objectives 7

2 Background 9

21 Development of research activities in Ny-Aringlesund 9

22 Framework for the strategy 10

3 Key institutions and forums for Ny-Aringlesund research 13

4 World-class science 17

41 Scientific priority areas 17

42 Research quality 19

43 Education 22

5 Sustainable research production 25

51 Coordination of research activity 25

52 International cooperation 25

53 Sharing and development of research infrastructure 26

54 Radio silence 28

55 Making information available29

6 Open access to data 31

Sammendrag 33

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1 Vision and Objectives

OBJECTIVES

gt World-class science

gt Sustainable research production

gt Open access to data

Ny-Aringlesund is the worldrsquos northernmost year-round research station that hosts and facilitates long-term observations and research activities Building on well-established international collaboration advanced research infrastructure and excellent science Ny-Aringlesund will be developed even further such that it is a world leading observation and research platform for natural sciences known for

gt easy access to a unique natural polar laboratory

gt the best routines for Arctic safety

gt efficiency and excellence in coordination collaboration

and information exchange

gt high-quality observation systems that are well connected

to international networks

gt state-of-the-art research infrastructure and research

facilities

gt open access to data and research infrastructure

gt a community with the highest quality scientists and

research activities

gt a good professional and social environment building on

trust and transparency

The further development of the research station and the research itself must take due consideration to the local environment This is important for sustaining the unique and pristine environment and cultural heritage on site All activities must comply with the Svalbard Environmental Protection Act as well as the Ny-Aringlesund land-use plan

Installation of mesocosms (EU-project EPOCA) Photo Ulf Riebesell GEOMAR

VISION

Ny-Aringlesund ndash the foremost research station for Arctic natural sciences

76

2 Background

1 Measured in researcher days Source NIFU report 201537

21 Development of research activities in Ny-Aringlesund

Today Ny-Aringlesund is a unique station for Arctic research and monitoring of environmental change It has easy access and a well-established research infrastructure From 1916 until 1962 Ny-Aringlesund was primarily a coal-mining town but research activity also had a presence in the towns early days For example it served as the departure point for several large-scale polar expeditions After the mining accident in 1962 the coal mining activity was terminated by Parliamentary decree and research became the main activity in the area Due to the history of Ny-Aringlesund most of its buildings are protected as cultural heritage These buildings constitute the largest collection of protected buildings in Svalbard The Kings Bay Company owns the land and most of the buildings in Ny-Aringlesund and has provided services for research activity in the area for decades

International research activity is extensive in Ny-Aringlesund More than 20 research institutions have long-term research and monitoring activities that operate out of Ny-Aringlesund According to studies done by the Nordic Institute for Studies in Innovation Research and Education (NIFU) the research activity1 in Ny-Aringlesund currently accounts for about 25 percent of the research activity in the Svalbard Archipelago

The presence of researchers from many different institutions offers unique opportunities for collaboration Such diversity also heightens the need for coordination Since 1994 the Ny-Aringlesund Science Managers Committee (NySMAC) has functioned as an important venue for coordination and cooperation among the research institutions in Ny-Aringlesund

Ny-Aringlesund monitoring activities play an important role in a variety of national and international monitoring programmes The research station is uniquely located for observing climate change effects and for undertaking research on how these changes influence both physical environments and resident plants and animals both regionally and globally Ny-Aringlesund is an important location for several national and global monitoring programmes that contribute data to important international agreements and conventions

Norway has made extensive investments in research infrastructure in Ny-Aringlesund both to stimulate research activities and to provide general infrastructure housing and logistics for the benefit of the international research community This includes the installation of a fibre-optic cable from Longyearbyen the establishment of the Norwegian Mapping Authorityrsquos new geodetic observatory (in 2018) and the completion of a new research building focussed on terrestrial ecology (in 2019) in recent years The sum of investments makes Ny-Aringlesund an outstanding site for Arctic research

The combination of Norwegian investments and support in setting up specialised research buildings and laboratories and the national and international institutional investments in research and advanced scientific equipment for monitoring and field work in Ny-Aringlesund have been key factors for success in establishing the worldrsquos most advanced and internationally oriented Arctic research station The interest and high-quality research contributions from the large number of international research institutions present in Ny-Aringlesund have been paramount for this development

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The Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI) is a directorate organized under the Ministry for Climate and Environment NPI will perform Norways host role in Ny-Aringlesund and is responsible for the implementation and daily follow-up of the research strategy locally NPI is thus the point of contact in Ny-Aringlesund for scientific research and associated activities such as questions regarding the planning of official visits NPI also has the over-riding responsibility to follow up the action points in this strategy unless otherwise stated Action points will be followed up in close cooperation with relevant actors with activity in Ny-Aringlesund

The research strategy for Ny-Aringlesund aims to strengthen scientific development and improve coordination Development and implementation of procedures for prioritising and allocating use of existing buildings and laboratories and further developing Ny-Aringlesundrsquos infrastructure buildings and services is important The strategy clearly defines Norwayrsquos expectations regarding quality cooperation openness data-sharing and results

4 The term Ny-Aringlesund Research Station covers all research activity based in Ny-Aringlesund and the Kongsfjorden area

The Research Council of Norway (RCN) was commissioned by the Norwegian Government through the White paper on Svalbard4 to develop the research strategy for Ny-Aringlesund Input from the scientific community and other relevant stakeholders has been crucial in finalising it They have given important insight in the well-established and excellent international cooperation on-site and shared their views and future priorities and plans

Regular dialogue will be established between the RCN NPI Kings Bay AS and relevant ministries to ensure that the strategy is appropriately followed up This includes making necessary decisions related to progress

RCN will periodically evaluate the status of the research and implementation of the strategy The strategy will be revised when necessary

22 Framework for the strategy Norwegian authorities have high ambitions for research in Svalbard2 A key ambition is to develop Ny-Aringlesund as a Norwegian platform for high quality international research higher education and environmental monitoring with global significance An important basis for this is a research strategy that emphasises how the unique research opportunities in Ny-Aringlesund can be more efficiently used through increased coordination of resource use and how clearer priorities and enhanced quality of the research can be achieved within the context of the international research community present in Ny-Aringlesund

The Government of Norway issued its Strategy for research and higher education in Svalbard in May 2018 that establishes the guidelines and principles for the research activities in Svalbard This strategy together with the Governmentrsquos White paper on Svalbard provide the overall framework for the research strategy for the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station3

2 Meld St 32 (2015ndash2016) white paper on Svalbard3 The term Ny-Aringlesund Research Station covers all research activity based in Ny-Aringlesund and the Kongsfjorden area

Important elements that apply to Ny-Aringlesund Research Station are in particular

gt Research is to exploit the arearsquos distinctive character as a clean natural science laboratory

gt The environment must remain as pristine as possible during all future development

gt Research is the prioritized activity in Ny-Aringlesund Other activities in and around Ny-Aringlesund must adapt to limit possible impact on the research activity

gt Ny-Aringlesund is a radio silent area because of important instruments that can be affected by radio emitting devices

gt Development will be towards a more thematically-based structure and shared-use of infrastructures to ensure optimal use

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3 Key institutions and forums for Ny-Aringlesund research

All research actors in Ny-Aringlesund have a responsibility to coordinate their activities with the other institutions on site This chapter describes the institutions with special responsibilities for coordination and operations as well as important forums for cooperation

Norwegian Polar Institute The Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI) is a directorate under the Ministry of Climate and Environment As a directorate it performs Norways host role in Ny-Aringlesund and is responsible for implementation and follow-up of the strategy locally NPI is the point of contact for scientific research and associated activities and has the overall on-site responsibility for ensuring coordination Accordingly NPI holds weekly meetings attended by representatives of other organisations working at the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

NPI is also Norwayrsquos central institute for environmental monitoring mapping and scientific research in the Polar Regions NPI has had a year-round presence in Ny-Aringlesund since 1968

Kings Bay AS Kings Bay AS is a limited company entirely owned by the Ministry of Climate and Environment Kings Bay AS owns the land that comprises the Broslashggerhalvoslashya Peninsula and Ny-Aringlesund As owner the company is responsible for the safety in the area and for the land-use plan The purpose of Kings Bay AS is to operate maintain and develop research infrastructure in Ny-Aringlesund and provide other necessary facilities and services Kings Bay AS serves as the point of contact to the Governor of Svalbard regarding safety matters is in charge of port and airport operations and provides board lodging and other logistics in Ny-Aringlesund The company offers services and facilitates the use of research infrastructure as well as having the responsibility for safeguarding cultural heritage sites on their property

Ny-Aringlesund Science Managers Committe The cooperative forum Ny-Aringlesund Science Managers Committee (NySMAC) was established in 1994 by the researchers in Ny-Aringlesund to enhance cooperation and coordination NySMAC contributes to the development of Ny-Aringlesund as an outstanding site for Arctic research through advancing cooperation between scientists and research projects and assisting in effective and sustainable utilization of Ny-Aringlesund as a research site As a major initiative to promote international collaboration NySMAC created the four flagship programmes (see chapter 41)

Any scientific institution that runs a long-term programme based in Ny-Aringlesund andor has significant research activities in Ny-Aringlesund is eligible to join NySMAC as a member New members are accepted following a consensus decision by NySMAC There are currently 18 member-institutions and four observers (see Box 1) NySMAC has a Chair and Co-chair these roles circulate among the member institutions The Chair and Co-chair are appointed for two years and each representative can serve for a maximum of two periods NPI serves as the forums Secretariat The committee plays an important role in coordinating research and infrastructure and sharing of information NySMAC serves as an adviser and collaborator regarding the development of research activity at the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

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SSF administers two funding schemes on behalf of RCN ndash the Svalbard Strategic Grant programme and the Arctic Field Grant programme (see also Box 4) The aim of these grants is to promote SSF priorities The funding is essential for maintaining and developing strategic research priorities for instance the Ny-Aringlesund flagship programmes The Arctic Field Grant is very important for recruitment It facilitates access to field work in Svalbard including Ny-Aringlesund for young scientists The SSF Secretariat is also responsible for operating and developing the unique coordination tool ndash the RiS-portal (see Box 2)

Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System

Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System (SIOS) addresses Earth System Science questions and is a Norwegian-initiated international large-scale research infrastructure programme that aims to establish a broadly distributed regional observing system for long-term measurements in and around the Svalbard Archipelago SIOS integrates existing observational infrastructure and generates added value for their members beyond what their individual capacities can provide The observing system strives to provide members with systematic high-quality observations in a cost-efficient and environmentally friendly manner

The consortium brings long-term measurements together into a coherent and integrated observational programme Within the member-based consortium of SIOS researchers can cooperate to access instruments acquire data and address questions that would not be practical or cost effective for a single institution or nation alone The knowledge centre the central hub of SIOS is located in the Svalbard Science Center in Longyearbyen and offers coordinated services for the research community A significant part of the instrumentation and infrastructure included in SIOS is physically located in Ny-Aringlesund SIOS is an observer in NySMAC

Institutions with national coordinating responsibilities

Several institutions with long-term research and monitoring activities in Ny-Aringlesund have national responsibilities as coordinators of their national activities at the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station These institutions are assessing and approving projects prior to registration in the Research in Svalbard (RiS) portal (see Box 2) They are expected to ensure that projects from their country comply with this research strategy minimize project overlap and ensure that projects are of high international calibre and that environmental concerns are addressed In cases of doubt the institution involved is encouraged to discuss with NySMAC prior to registration in the RiS-portal

NPI has the overall responsibility to ensure that all activities at the station are in line with this strategy and has the final authority to approve access

Svalbard Science Forum The Svalbard Science Forum (SSF) was established in 1998 to increase cooperation and coordination within Svalbard research SSF promotes open sharing of data and reduction of the environmental impact of research activities in the archipelago All research communities Longyearbyen Ny-Aringlesund Barentsburg and Hornsund are represented in SSF NySMAC represents the Ny-Aringlesund research community in the Forum The Research Council of Norway (RCN) serves as Chair of the SSF and is responsible for administering the permanent secretariat in Longyearbyen

Box 1NySMAC members and observers by April 2019

Members gt Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) Germany gt Andoslashya Space Center (ASC) Norway gt Chinese Arctic and Antarctic Administration (CAA) China gt Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) Italy gt GFZ German Research Centre for Geoscience (GFZ) Germany gt Institut Polaire Francais Paul Emile Victor (IPEV) France gt Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI) South Korea gt National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) India

gt National Institute of Polar Research (NIPR) Japan gt Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) UK gt Northern Research Institute Tromsoslash (NORUT) Norway gt Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU) Norway gt Norwegian Mapping Authority (NMA) Norway gt Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI) Norway gt Stockholm University (SU) Sweden gt The University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS) Norway gt University of Groningen (UoG) The Netherlands gt University of Tromsoslash (UiT) Norway

Observers gt Kings Bay AS (KB) Norway gt The Research Council of Norway (RCN) Norway gt Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System (SIOS) gt Svalbard Science Forum (SSF) Norway

Box 2Research in Svalbard (RiS) Portal The Research in Svalbard (RiS) Portal is the essential tool for researchers the Governor of Svalbard Kings Bay AS SSF NPI and others when it comes to information about research in Svalbard The portal facilitates finding new partners for collaboration and for coordinating fieldwork and logistics Hence RiS is a tool for thematic cooperation and logistics coordination for those carrying out research fieldwork and monitoring in Svalbard By using this open-access portal users gain information about projects and the participating researchers and institutions RiS also offers an overview of the fieldwork activity and of publications and metadata It is mandatory to register all research projects with activity in Ny-Aringlesund in RiS In addition RiS is a one-step portal and contains Kings Bay ASs booking module for ordering services in Ny-Aringlesund (travel lodging and use of infrastructure) as well as the Governors module for permit applications and reporting The portal is operated by the SSF Secretariat and is owned by the RCN To ensure that this portal remains an essential tool for research coordination overview and information the portal will be developed further

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4 World-class science

Well-developed research infrastructure an international research environment and extensive international research activity provides a unique environment for cooperation in Ny-Aringlesund The Research Station further provides a very comprehensive observing system for multidisciplinary research This combined with extraordinary accessibility and location enables the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station to be an important supplier of globally significant science

41 Scientific priority areas Research and monitoring activities in Ny-Aringlesund are to be within the natural sciences and should use the unique infra-structure and field possibilities that the area offers The area around Ny-Aringlesund is a limited resource and several research and monitoring activities are dependent on pristine condi-tions The historic environment is unique and an important cultural heritage site on Svalbard Cultural heritage research in Svalbard is therefore welcome in Ny-Aringlesund

Research in Ny-Aringlesund comprises the activities of various institutional national and international programmes Substantial portions of these activities are related and complementary To release its full potential four flagship programmes were established in the period 2009-2011 which in combination constitute most of the research and monitoring in Ny-Aringlesund The established flagship programmes are atmospheric research terrestrial ecosystems the Kongsfjorden system and glaciology research (see Box 3 for more information)

Zeppelin Observatory Photo Ove Hermansen NILU

Box 3Flagship programmes

The combination of a northern location a coastal setting a heterogenous landscape and relatively easy access has provided a unique environment for long-term research and time-series observations and makes Ny-Aringlesund a key location for research and environmental monitoring in the High Arctic

The research and monitoring activity in Ny-Aringlesund is organized in four broad and dynamic flagship programmes with extensive cross-disciplinary and cross-flagship collaboration The flagship programmes have regular meetings and are open to all scientists who are either actively engaged in studies in the area or who wish to develop new insights based on monitoring and research in the area

Further the flagship programmes function as arenas for contact coordination and cooperation in science

The Atmosphere Flagship focuses on measurements from the surface up to the upper atmosphere utilizing a wide array of different techniques and instruments The Kongsfjorden system ndash a high Arctic marine environment which is often influenced by influx of warmer Atlantic waters and thus highly sensitive to climate change in the Arctic ndash is the main scope of The Kongsfjorden system Flagship The Terrestrial Ecology Flagship brings together all studies on plant animals soil permafrost and lakes and coordinates field manipulations and study sites The Glaciology Flagship studies the cryosphere around Ny-Aringlesund especially fast-flowing surge type polythermal and calving glaciers

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42 Research quality High-quality research is conducted in Ny-Aringlesund and there is potential to increase the impact of this research even further Studies done by NIFU6 shows that Svalbard articles have been less cited than polar research generally (10-20 percent) NIFU reports have shown that publications with international col-laboration were cited more than the rest Citation rates vary somewhat by discipline but it appears that Svalbard articles including Ny-Aringlesund-based research are published in journals with lower citation rates than the journals most used to publish polar research in general Citation rates do not capture all aspects of quality however the NIFU findings suggest potential for improvement

The results of NIFUs studies suggest that measures to increase international cooperation and improve coordination of research in Svalbard may result in higher quality research outputs Research carried out in Ny-Aringlesund should strive to be placed in a pan-Arctic or global context and research results should be published in high-impact peer-reviewed journals It is important to exploit the diversity of Ny-Aringlesunds research communities further To improve dissemination of research activity the Research Station should produce a common annual report

The research institutions present in Ny-Aringlesund are expected to have high research ambitions and pursue international cooperation when this is beneficial To optimally exploit the unique research opportunities and develop the Research Station into an even better platform for high-quality research and long-term monitoring researchers are expected to take responsibility to encourage that

gt research projects are quality-assured prior to start-up and then maintain high professional standards

gt researchers collaborate with the best international partners in Ny-Aringlesund and elsewhere to enhance scientific quality

6 The term Ny-Aringlesund Research Station covers all research activity based in Ny-Aringlesund and the Kongsfjorden area

gt results are published in English in open internationally peer-reviewed journals

gt research is placed whenever possible in a wide context at the pan-Arctic or global level

Action point

gt the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station should present its ongoing scientific contributions in an annual report highlighting research results including a list of publications contribution to international networks and important research campaigns

The flagship programmes are networks that bring together scientists working in Ny-Aringlesund to enhance holistic approaches through long-term observations process under-standing and modelling The flagship programmes are led by a scientific committee with a Chair and a Co-chair Scientists contributing to the flagships are expected to further develop the science and work together to identify areas where addi-tional effort is needed They are also expected to take advan-tage of opportunities for synergies arising from the diversity of the international community and its many research dis- ciplines including cross-flagship activity

Ny-Aringlesund is a central reference station with important long-term climate and environment data series NySMAC and SSF have highlighted the potential and opportunities to develop an integrated monitoring programme for Ny-Aringlesund this should be developed further Key elements of this programme would be data accessibility and the use of data in research

Conditions for research in Ny-Aringlesund

gt Research is to be within the natural sciences5

gt Research is to make use of the arearsquos distinctive characteristics In general research that can significantly benefit from being done in Ny-Aringlesund should be prioritized

gt Research is to take environmental concerns into account and be within the Land-use plan and the Svalbard Environmental Protection Act

5 Exception for Culture heritage research

The actors are encouraged to

gt make sure that interference and overlap with other activities is avoided whenever possible

gt become familiar with and participate in the thematic flagship programmes

gt maintain long-time series and share data

gt ensure that all new projects identify themselves by registering their projects in the RiS-portal

gt discuss activities in NySMAC

Action points

gt Integrated monitoring programmes should be developed as a cooperation between institutions with monitoring activities

gt Research and research infrastructure priorities should be discussed in the flagship programmes and gap-analysis should be considered

gt Further development of the flagship programmes should be secured

Karin Springer University of Bremen Photo Kings Bay AS

1918

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Courses should not be a dominant activity in Ny-Aringlesund UNIS is a unique centre for university-level study and research in Svalbard Ny-Aringlesund is an important location for some of their course activities and courses based at the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS) will be given priority in Ny-Aringlesund

In order to have a good overview and secure coordination and transparency an overall assessment of the needs and desires for teaching activities will be required It may be appropriate to impose deadlines for submitting requests All course activity requests must include a reason why the course in question must be held in Ny-Aringlesund

SSF allocates funding for fieldwork in Svalbard in which the main priority is to support MSc students PhD students and researchers not currently established in Svalbard This grant-ing programme recruits the new generation of young scientist and facilitates the opportunity to conduct fieldwork in Svalbard (Box 4)

Action points

gt Recruitment in polar research by promoting involvement of MSc and PhD students in research projects should be encouraged

gt RCN will continue to support field activity for MSc students and PhD students through Arctic Field Grants

gt Develop procedures for facilitating course activities at MSc and PhD levels

43 Education There is a need for recruitment in polar research both in Norway and internationally Ny-Aringlesund is a unique learning site with access to infrastructure field locations and an important international research environment Ny-Aringlesund should contribute to the recruitment of a new generation of polar researchers by hosting masters students and doctoral fellowship-holders in connection with research projects

Courses are welcome in Ny-Aringlesund as long as the following criteria are met

gt They are targeted for MSc andor PhD (or similar level) education

gt The courses will use research infrastructure or unique field opportunities available on-site

gt They are within natural science disciplines

gt There is capacity at the station

gt Sufficient consideration to the cultural-historical attributes and natural environment are taken into account

Box 4Arctic Field Grant (AFG)

The Arctic Field Grant (AFG) has been awarded to more than 1600 researchers master and PhD students since 1953 The grant has been managed by the RCN since 2011 and has since that time allocated 22 million NOK to 435 projects including 148 PhD and 225 MSc students

Some facts about AFG gt 3 of 10 recipients are now pursuing a career in polar science because of AFG

gt 4 of 10 projects were conducted in Ny-Aringlesund

gt 5 of 10 projects resulted in a peer reviewed paper

gt 6 of 10 applications were successful

gt 8 of 10 recipients are MSc or PhD students

gt 9 of 10 former recipients and supervisors said AFG helps with recruitment of young scientists into polar research

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5 Sustainable research production

The present scope of research activity in Ny-Aringlesund makes it necessary to strengthen the interaction cooperation and coordination of research activities to ensure sustainability Sustainable research production stimulates new innovative ideas and gives the opportunity to do basic research Further sustainable research refers to activity that has low environmental impact promotes effectiveness through optimal use of data avoids extensive overlap and makes the best possible use of the arearsquos distinctive character

51 Coordination of research activity Various forums for logistical and practical research coordina-tion in Ny-Aringlesund have been established The area has exten-sive research infrastructure and a long tradition of research cooperation NPI will facilitate day-to-day coordination of activity through a weekly meeting with representatives from all key actors present in Ny-Aringlesund

NySMAC contributes to coordination of the research activities in Ny-Aringlesund The committee has an essential role in developing cooperation between the institutions present in Ny-Aringlesund It also acts as an advisory body regarding cooper-ation and priorities to the research actors with ongoing or planned projects in the area

Kings Bay AS serves as the provider of research logistics and it develops and maintains research infrastructure for common use

The member-based consortium SIOS has a significant role regarding instrumentation and infrastructure in Ny-Aringlesund SIOS has a coordinating role in the optimization of observa-tion of earth system science from research infrastructure located in Ny-Aringlesund

SSF acts as a coordinating body for all research activity on Svalbard and will continue to contribute to and stimulate enhanced cooperation and collaboration between the four research communities Longyearbyen Ny-Aringlesund Barentsburg and Hornsund

Close cooperation between all the above-mentioned bodies is essential for the further development of the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

52 International cooperation The unique international community present in Ny-Aringlesund has a history of extensive cooperation which has been essen-tial to enhance quality in polar research There is however potential for further utilization of the extensive infrastructure that is established in Svalbard International cooperation and exchange are a prerequisite for maintaining a creative innova-tive and world-class scientific environment in Ny-Aringlesund

Promotion of cooperation between the research communities in Ny-Aringlesund Longyearbyen Hornsund and Barentsburg as well as between Svalbard and other research communities around the world is of great importance to enhance know- ledge on global issues

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53 Sharing and development of research infrastructure

Coordination of infrastructure and logistical services is key to better utilisation of research infrastructure In Ny-Aringlesund the area available for new buildings is limited It is therefore

crucial that existing buildings are used efficiently The need of efficient use of existing buildings has resulted in joint services provided at the Marine Laboratory Zeppelin Observatory Climate Change Tower Gruvebadet Vaskeri Lab MS Teisten Light Sensitive Cabin and the newly established Terrestrial Laboratory (see Box 5)

SSF stimulates cooperation and collaborative efforts between all research communities in Svalbard and within all research disciplines SSF facilitates the RiS-portal (Box 2) for sharing information regarding research projects being conducted any-where in Svalbard including the four permanently manned research communities in Svalbard (Ny-Aringlesund Longyearbyen Barentsburg and Hornsund) The RiS-portal is a unique tool for information exchange and for enhancing cooperation and coordination

SSF administers the Svalbard Strategic Grant (SSG) pro-gramme This is a seed money program aimed at advancing coordination collaboration and data sharing between researchers working with Svalbard research as well as increas-ing cooperation and coordination between the four research communities in Svalbard

A Svalbard Science Conference ndash with the goal of stimulating and inspiring cooperation in and advancement of the research conducted in Svalbard was held for the first time in 2017 This conference gathered scientists experts and relevant key players needed to put Svalbard research in a global context The success of this first meeting has resulted in a plan to have this conference continue on a biennial basis This international conference strives to increase connectivity broadening the research network and bringing Svalbard research into a pan-Arctic setting

Action points

gt RCN in cooperation with SSF will continue and further develop SSG and RiS to support cooperation and coordination of research in Svalbard

gt RCN and SSF will establish the Svalbard Science Conference in cooperation with NPI and other relevant partners as an important arena for cooperation and dissemination of research in Svalbard

Box 5Shared infrastructure The Marine Laboratory is an experimental laboratory for research in marine ecology physiology and biochemistry as well as oceanography marine geology and ice physics The Marine Lab is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS and booking is done through the RiS-portal

The Zeppelin Observatory is an observatory for atmospheric research and monitoring The Observatory is part of a network of very important global observatories for atmospheric measurements and part of several regional and global monitoring networks The observatory is located at the mountain Zeppelinfjellet 475 masl The Zeppelin Observatory is owned and managed by the Norwegian Polar Institute

The Climate Change Tower (CCT) with a height of 32 m hosts many instruments mainly to investigate energy budgets in the Earth surface layer boundary layer dynamics and exchange fluxes at the atmospherendashland interface CCT is owned and managed by the CNR

Gruvebadet is an atmospheric laboratory and observatory located 1 km from the centre of Ny-Aringlesund The building currently hosts instrument for atmosphere and aerosol measurements Gruvebadet is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS

The Vaskeri Lab is an older building that consists of several rooms some of which can be used for common labs fex for environmental or terrestrial laboratory work and is perfect for work with soil sediments animal sampling etc Vaskeri Lab is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS

MS Teisten is a small work boat 31 feet long and equipped to do smaller scientific operations and surveys in Kongsfjorden and Krossfjorden MS Teisten is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS and booking can be done through RiS

The Terrestrial Laboratory (Veksthuset) is located in the middle of town and includes brand new dry and semi-wet lab facilities The labs are expected to be ready for use from summer 2019 The lab is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS

The Light Sensitive Cabin is located 25 km from the centre of Ny-Aringlesund and is specially designed to host instruments that require minimal light contamination The cabin has four domes on the roof is connected to high-speed internet and is insulated The light sensitive cabin is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS

In addition there are some smaller observatoriesplatforms run by various institutions located at the various buildings in Ny-Aringlesund that host instruments for long-term monitoring Several of these are available for other users by request to the owner

Terrestrial Laboratory Photo Susanne Wasa Hagen Kings Bay AS

2726

55 Making information available Making information available to others is essential to estab-lish communication among on-going projects and initiatives The RiS-portal is the important tool to register projects and to find information about activities in Ny-Aringlesund

The flagship programmes have created meeting places for the largest disciplines in Ny-Aringlesund that are important for network building and increasing collaboration

NySMAC has established an internal Project Information and Discussion (PID) forum to share information regarding planned activities These collaborative tools are used by NySMAC in between the semi-annual meetings

To improve dissemination of information relevant to all researchers planning or engaged in activities in Ny-Aringlesund NPI and Kings Bay AS will develop a dedicated and comprehensive web site for Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

Researchers and institutes are expected to

gt register Svalbard-based research projects in RiS and keep the information updated

gt become familiar with other relevant activities by using RiS

Action points

gt SSF will further develop RiS and continue their efforts to ensure that RiS is used by researchers as an attractive portal for information regarding research and opportunities for thematic collaboration and logistics cooperation in Svalbard

gt Development of a dedicated and comprehensive web site for Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

Developing shared thematic laboratories will improve the utilisation of the buildings in Ny-Aringlesund Being an attractive provider of research infrastructure requires effective profes-sional operations efficient utilisation and a realistic cost level For this approach to succeed it is important to develop the existing buildings in accordance with research needs and to facilitate professional joint services that researchers find attractive Ny-Aringlesunds scientific community should take part in the decisions regarding development of new joint services to ensure that they match research needs Norwayrsquos long-term ambition is to further develop thematically-based research infrastructure in Ny-Aringlesund

SIOS is an important tool for sharing and collaborating in the utilisation of Svalbardrsquos infrastructure Scientists conducting earth system research in Ny-Aringlesund are encouraged to become members of SIOS SIOS offers opportunities to access the memberrsquos infrastructure and data through regular strategic calls Access will be based on scientific excellence Applica-tions for access should be made through SIOS decisions will be made in collaboration with the member responsible for the specific infrastructure Research infrastructure includes physical spaces such as laboratories as well as scientific instruments samples data and e-infrastructure

The actors are encouraged to

gt coordinate their activities in Ny-Aringlesund with those of other institutions to optimize research infrastructure utilisation

gt make infrastructure available to others

gt become members of SIOS

gt collaborate and coordinate use of logistics services

Action points

gt Draw up a ldquogap- analysisrdquo for the development of new infrastructure

gt Create a cost-efficiency model for Ny-Aringlesund that includes development of joint research infrastructure

54 Radio silence Ny-Aringlesund is a radio silent area with the long-term goal to further minimize the emissions of electromagnetic (radio wave) pollution Some important sensing-instruments like the VLBI radio telescopes at Norways geodetic laboratory need radio silence to function optimally The General authorisations regulations in Norway (fribruksforskriften) which allows use without permit for common equipment is not valid for the frequencies 2 GHzndash32 GHz within a 20 km radius from Ny-Aringlesund Technology using the 2 GHzndash32 GHz frequency range requires application to the National Communications Authority (Nkom)

Upholding a pristine environment also includes avoiding electro- magnetic pollution Ny-Aringlesund is a unique location world-wide in having radio silence while also providing the infra-structure and logistical support necessary for large-scale research installations Consequently maintaining radio silence is a key priority and efforts to develop the infrastructure to conduct necessary measurements outside the protected frequency band should be intensified For research that requires use of the radio frequency range in question and that cannot be conducted elsewhere in Svalbard it is neces-sary to have overview of frequencies in use in Ny-Aringlesund The radio silence working group established under NySMAC is important in this context

Action points

gt All actors have to contribute to maintain radio silence and prioritise research that does not interfere with the radio silence

gt Develop good procedures and priorities for the use of technology with active transmitters

Norwegian Mapping Authoritys new geodetic observatory Photo Helge Tore Markussen NPI

2928

6 Open access to data

7 Report No 30 (2008ndash2009) to the Storting a white paper on research policy Meld St 18 (2012ndash2013) the white paper Long-term perspectives ndash knowledge provides opportunity Meld St 27 (2015ndash2016) a white paper on Norwayrsquos digital agenda the Ministry of Education and Researchrsquos National strategy on access to and sharing of research data (2017) the EU Commissionrsquos decision to make open data access the norm in the Horizon 2020 programme its ldquoGuidelines on FAIR Data Management in Horizon 2020rdquo its publication ldquoOpen Innovation Open Science Open to the world ndash a vision for Europerdquo and the European Research Area and Innovation Committeersquos Opinion on Open Research Data etc

8 Ministry of Education and Researchrsquos National strategy on access to and sharing of research data (2017) 9 httpswwwforce11orggroupfairgroupfairprinciples10 SIOS Data Policy

Open access to data makes it easier to validate and assess findings as well as to use data in new ways Combining data facilitates more interdisciplinary research Open access to research data reduces duplication of effort increases efficiency and reduces environmental impacts Broader access to research data will strengthen the quality of research in Svalbard

Norwegian and international research policies7 emphasises that research data should be made openly accessible when no legitimate considerations prevent its accessibility or ldquoas open as possible as closed as necessaryrdquo8 This point is made in the Strategy for research and higher education in Svalbard in which the following Norwegian Government objective is expressed ldquoResearch communities active in Svalbard shall take the lead in moving towards shared research data and infrastructurerdquo

Strong metadata ie information about collection delinea-tion definition and other factors relevant for further use is a prerequisite for being able to find and interpret data It is therefore important that data producers are meticulous about standardising the methods and sharing metadata in a way that make data easier to use ideally in line with the FAIR- principles9 FAIR stands for findable accessible interoperable and reusable The concept interoperable entails that both data and metadata must be machine-readable and that a consist-ent terminology is used

The SIOS consortium has developed a data policy that is con-sistent with international principles including requirements for the availability and quality of metadata10 The members of SIOS which includes research conducted in Ny-Aringlesund and Svalbard will be obliged to comply with these principles Standardised metadata requirements should be established for all research in Ny-Aringlesund

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tin

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DEL XX SEKSJONSTITTEL

3

Preface

The Arctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the globe and the Svalbard region is warming at the fastest rate within the circumpolar Arctic Thus Ny-Aringlesund represent a key site for observing effects of the warming that is occurring and for undertaking research regarding how such changes influence the region and the globe

Norway has facilitated international polar research in Svalbard for more than 50 years The Ny-Aringlesund Research Station is one of the worldrsquos northernmost year-round research communities and provides a unique access to a natural polar laboratory It is an important Norwegian platform for international Arctic research and it is important for several Norwegian and global monitoring programs that contribute to international agreements and conventions

Svalbard research is characterised by a high degree of interna-tional collaboration In Ny-Aringlesund more than 20 research institutes have long-term research and monitoring activities The station is one of four research communities in Svalbard (Ny-Aringlesund Longyearbyen Barentsburg and Hornsund) Close cooperation between these communities is essential for the further development of Ny-Aringlesund

In 2016 the Norwegian Government announced (MeldSt32 (2015-2016)) the development of a research strategy for the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station Guidelines and principles for research activity were established by the government in 2018 in the Strategy for research and higher education in Svalbard The Research Council of Norway was given the responsibility for developing a research strategy in cooperation with relevant stakeholders research institutions and ministries

The ambition has been to make a research strategy that clearly defines expectations regarding quality cooperation openness data-sharing and sharing of results at the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station High-quality research is already the norm in Ny-Aringlesund The intention of this strategy is to contribute to release the full potential of the Ny-Aringlesund research and collaboration and thereby increase the impact of this research even further

In developing this first research strategy for Ny-Aringlesund input from interested parties has been valuable and important We are also depending on your cooperation in the future for developing the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

Oslo April 2019

John-Arne RoslashttingenChief Executive

Phot

o Jo

hn

-Arn

e Roslash

ttin

gen

The Research Council of Norway is a national strategic and funding agency for research activities The Council serves as the key advisor on research policy issues to the Norwegian Government the government ministries and other central institutions and groups involved in research and development (RampD) The Research Council also works to increase financial investment in and raise the quality of Norwegian RampD and to promote innovation in a collaborative effort between the

research community trade and industry and the public administration It is the task of the Research Council to identify Norwayrsquos research needs and recommend national priorities and to use different funding schemes to help to translate national research policy goals into action The Research Council provides a central meeting place for those who fund carry out and utilise research and works actively to promote the internationalisation of Norwegian research

About the Research Council of Norway

Contents

1 Vision and Objectives 7

2 Background 9

21 Development of research activities in Ny-Aringlesund 9

22 Framework for the strategy 10

3 Key institutions and forums for Ny-Aringlesund research 13

4 World-class science 17

41 Scientific priority areas 17

42 Research quality 19

43 Education 22

5 Sustainable research production 25

51 Coordination of research activity 25

52 International cooperation 25

53 Sharing and development of research infrastructure 26

54 Radio silence 28

55 Making information available29

6 Open access to data 31

Sammendrag 33

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o S

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54

1 Vision and Objectives

OBJECTIVES

gt World-class science

gt Sustainable research production

gt Open access to data

Ny-Aringlesund is the worldrsquos northernmost year-round research station that hosts and facilitates long-term observations and research activities Building on well-established international collaboration advanced research infrastructure and excellent science Ny-Aringlesund will be developed even further such that it is a world leading observation and research platform for natural sciences known for

gt easy access to a unique natural polar laboratory

gt the best routines for Arctic safety

gt efficiency and excellence in coordination collaboration

and information exchange

gt high-quality observation systems that are well connected

to international networks

gt state-of-the-art research infrastructure and research

facilities

gt open access to data and research infrastructure

gt a community with the highest quality scientists and

research activities

gt a good professional and social environment building on

trust and transparency

The further development of the research station and the research itself must take due consideration to the local environment This is important for sustaining the unique and pristine environment and cultural heritage on site All activities must comply with the Svalbard Environmental Protection Act as well as the Ny-Aringlesund land-use plan

Installation of mesocosms (EU-project EPOCA) Photo Ulf Riebesell GEOMAR

VISION

Ny-Aringlesund ndash the foremost research station for Arctic natural sciences

76

2 Background

1 Measured in researcher days Source NIFU report 201537

21 Development of research activities in Ny-Aringlesund

Today Ny-Aringlesund is a unique station for Arctic research and monitoring of environmental change It has easy access and a well-established research infrastructure From 1916 until 1962 Ny-Aringlesund was primarily a coal-mining town but research activity also had a presence in the towns early days For example it served as the departure point for several large-scale polar expeditions After the mining accident in 1962 the coal mining activity was terminated by Parliamentary decree and research became the main activity in the area Due to the history of Ny-Aringlesund most of its buildings are protected as cultural heritage These buildings constitute the largest collection of protected buildings in Svalbard The Kings Bay Company owns the land and most of the buildings in Ny-Aringlesund and has provided services for research activity in the area for decades

International research activity is extensive in Ny-Aringlesund More than 20 research institutions have long-term research and monitoring activities that operate out of Ny-Aringlesund According to studies done by the Nordic Institute for Studies in Innovation Research and Education (NIFU) the research activity1 in Ny-Aringlesund currently accounts for about 25 percent of the research activity in the Svalbard Archipelago

The presence of researchers from many different institutions offers unique opportunities for collaboration Such diversity also heightens the need for coordination Since 1994 the Ny-Aringlesund Science Managers Committee (NySMAC) has functioned as an important venue for coordination and cooperation among the research institutions in Ny-Aringlesund

Ny-Aringlesund monitoring activities play an important role in a variety of national and international monitoring programmes The research station is uniquely located for observing climate change effects and for undertaking research on how these changes influence both physical environments and resident plants and animals both regionally and globally Ny-Aringlesund is an important location for several national and global monitoring programmes that contribute data to important international agreements and conventions

Norway has made extensive investments in research infrastructure in Ny-Aringlesund both to stimulate research activities and to provide general infrastructure housing and logistics for the benefit of the international research community This includes the installation of a fibre-optic cable from Longyearbyen the establishment of the Norwegian Mapping Authorityrsquos new geodetic observatory (in 2018) and the completion of a new research building focussed on terrestrial ecology (in 2019) in recent years The sum of investments makes Ny-Aringlesund an outstanding site for Arctic research

The combination of Norwegian investments and support in setting up specialised research buildings and laboratories and the national and international institutional investments in research and advanced scientific equipment for monitoring and field work in Ny-Aringlesund have been key factors for success in establishing the worldrsquos most advanced and internationally oriented Arctic research station The interest and high-quality research contributions from the large number of international research institutions present in Ny-Aringlesund have been paramount for this development

Phot

o E

irik

Hel

lan

d U

rke

98

The Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI) is a directorate organized under the Ministry for Climate and Environment NPI will perform Norways host role in Ny-Aringlesund and is responsible for the implementation and daily follow-up of the research strategy locally NPI is thus the point of contact in Ny-Aringlesund for scientific research and associated activities such as questions regarding the planning of official visits NPI also has the over-riding responsibility to follow up the action points in this strategy unless otherwise stated Action points will be followed up in close cooperation with relevant actors with activity in Ny-Aringlesund

The research strategy for Ny-Aringlesund aims to strengthen scientific development and improve coordination Development and implementation of procedures for prioritising and allocating use of existing buildings and laboratories and further developing Ny-Aringlesundrsquos infrastructure buildings and services is important The strategy clearly defines Norwayrsquos expectations regarding quality cooperation openness data-sharing and results

4 The term Ny-Aringlesund Research Station covers all research activity based in Ny-Aringlesund and the Kongsfjorden area

The Research Council of Norway (RCN) was commissioned by the Norwegian Government through the White paper on Svalbard4 to develop the research strategy for Ny-Aringlesund Input from the scientific community and other relevant stakeholders has been crucial in finalising it They have given important insight in the well-established and excellent international cooperation on-site and shared their views and future priorities and plans

Regular dialogue will be established between the RCN NPI Kings Bay AS and relevant ministries to ensure that the strategy is appropriately followed up This includes making necessary decisions related to progress

RCN will periodically evaluate the status of the research and implementation of the strategy The strategy will be revised when necessary

22 Framework for the strategy Norwegian authorities have high ambitions for research in Svalbard2 A key ambition is to develop Ny-Aringlesund as a Norwegian platform for high quality international research higher education and environmental monitoring with global significance An important basis for this is a research strategy that emphasises how the unique research opportunities in Ny-Aringlesund can be more efficiently used through increased coordination of resource use and how clearer priorities and enhanced quality of the research can be achieved within the context of the international research community present in Ny-Aringlesund

The Government of Norway issued its Strategy for research and higher education in Svalbard in May 2018 that establishes the guidelines and principles for the research activities in Svalbard This strategy together with the Governmentrsquos White paper on Svalbard provide the overall framework for the research strategy for the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station3

2 Meld St 32 (2015ndash2016) white paper on Svalbard3 The term Ny-Aringlesund Research Station covers all research activity based in Ny-Aringlesund and the Kongsfjorden area

Important elements that apply to Ny-Aringlesund Research Station are in particular

gt Research is to exploit the arearsquos distinctive character as a clean natural science laboratory

gt The environment must remain as pristine as possible during all future development

gt Research is the prioritized activity in Ny-Aringlesund Other activities in and around Ny-Aringlesund must adapt to limit possible impact on the research activity

gt Ny-Aringlesund is a radio silent area because of important instruments that can be affected by radio emitting devices

gt Development will be towards a more thematically-based structure and shared-use of infrastructures to ensure optimal use

Phot

o Oacute

lafu

r In

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1110

3 Key institutions and forums for Ny-Aringlesund research

All research actors in Ny-Aringlesund have a responsibility to coordinate their activities with the other institutions on site This chapter describes the institutions with special responsibilities for coordination and operations as well as important forums for cooperation

Norwegian Polar Institute The Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI) is a directorate under the Ministry of Climate and Environment As a directorate it performs Norways host role in Ny-Aringlesund and is responsible for implementation and follow-up of the strategy locally NPI is the point of contact for scientific research and associated activities and has the overall on-site responsibility for ensuring coordination Accordingly NPI holds weekly meetings attended by representatives of other organisations working at the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

NPI is also Norwayrsquos central institute for environmental monitoring mapping and scientific research in the Polar Regions NPI has had a year-round presence in Ny-Aringlesund since 1968

Kings Bay AS Kings Bay AS is a limited company entirely owned by the Ministry of Climate and Environment Kings Bay AS owns the land that comprises the Broslashggerhalvoslashya Peninsula and Ny-Aringlesund As owner the company is responsible for the safety in the area and for the land-use plan The purpose of Kings Bay AS is to operate maintain and develop research infrastructure in Ny-Aringlesund and provide other necessary facilities and services Kings Bay AS serves as the point of contact to the Governor of Svalbard regarding safety matters is in charge of port and airport operations and provides board lodging and other logistics in Ny-Aringlesund The company offers services and facilitates the use of research infrastructure as well as having the responsibility for safeguarding cultural heritage sites on their property

Ny-Aringlesund Science Managers Committe The cooperative forum Ny-Aringlesund Science Managers Committee (NySMAC) was established in 1994 by the researchers in Ny-Aringlesund to enhance cooperation and coordination NySMAC contributes to the development of Ny-Aringlesund as an outstanding site for Arctic research through advancing cooperation between scientists and research projects and assisting in effective and sustainable utilization of Ny-Aringlesund as a research site As a major initiative to promote international collaboration NySMAC created the four flagship programmes (see chapter 41)

Any scientific institution that runs a long-term programme based in Ny-Aringlesund andor has significant research activities in Ny-Aringlesund is eligible to join NySMAC as a member New members are accepted following a consensus decision by NySMAC There are currently 18 member-institutions and four observers (see Box 1) NySMAC has a Chair and Co-chair these roles circulate among the member institutions The Chair and Co-chair are appointed for two years and each representative can serve for a maximum of two periods NPI serves as the forums Secretariat The committee plays an important role in coordinating research and infrastructure and sharing of information NySMAC serves as an adviser and collaborator regarding the development of research activity at the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

Phot

o K

arol

ine

Baelig

lum

S

SF

1312

SSF administers two funding schemes on behalf of RCN ndash the Svalbard Strategic Grant programme and the Arctic Field Grant programme (see also Box 4) The aim of these grants is to promote SSF priorities The funding is essential for maintaining and developing strategic research priorities for instance the Ny-Aringlesund flagship programmes The Arctic Field Grant is very important for recruitment It facilitates access to field work in Svalbard including Ny-Aringlesund for young scientists The SSF Secretariat is also responsible for operating and developing the unique coordination tool ndash the RiS-portal (see Box 2)

Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System

Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System (SIOS) addresses Earth System Science questions and is a Norwegian-initiated international large-scale research infrastructure programme that aims to establish a broadly distributed regional observing system for long-term measurements in and around the Svalbard Archipelago SIOS integrates existing observational infrastructure and generates added value for their members beyond what their individual capacities can provide The observing system strives to provide members with systematic high-quality observations in a cost-efficient and environmentally friendly manner

The consortium brings long-term measurements together into a coherent and integrated observational programme Within the member-based consortium of SIOS researchers can cooperate to access instruments acquire data and address questions that would not be practical or cost effective for a single institution or nation alone The knowledge centre the central hub of SIOS is located in the Svalbard Science Center in Longyearbyen and offers coordinated services for the research community A significant part of the instrumentation and infrastructure included in SIOS is physically located in Ny-Aringlesund SIOS is an observer in NySMAC

Institutions with national coordinating responsibilities

Several institutions with long-term research and monitoring activities in Ny-Aringlesund have national responsibilities as coordinators of their national activities at the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station These institutions are assessing and approving projects prior to registration in the Research in Svalbard (RiS) portal (see Box 2) They are expected to ensure that projects from their country comply with this research strategy minimize project overlap and ensure that projects are of high international calibre and that environmental concerns are addressed In cases of doubt the institution involved is encouraged to discuss with NySMAC prior to registration in the RiS-portal

NPI has the overall responsibility to ensure that all activities at the station are in line with this strategy and has the final authority to approve access

Svalbard Science Forum The Svalbard Science Forum (SSF) was established in 1998 to increase cooperation and coordination within Svalbard research SSF promotes open sharing of data and reduction of the environmental impact of research activities in the archipelago All research communities Longyearbyen Ny-Aringlesund Barentsburg and Hornsund are represented in SSF NySMAC represents the Ny-Aringlesund research community in the Forum The Research Council of Norway (RCN) serves as Chair of the SSF and is responsible for administering the permanent secretariat in Longyearbyen

Box 1NySMAC members and observers by April 2019

Members gt Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) Germany gt Andoslashya Space Center (ASC) Norway gt Chinese Arctic and Antarctic Administration (CAA) China gt Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) Italy gt GFZ German Research Centre for Geoscience (GFZ) Germany gt Institut Polaire Francais Paul Emile Victor (IPEV) France gt Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI) South Korea gt National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) India

gt National Institute of Polar Research (NIPR) Japan gt Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) UK gt Northern Research Institute Tromsoslash (NORUT) Norway gt Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU) Norway gt Norwegian Mapping Authority (NMA) Norway gt Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI) Norway gt Stockholm University (SU) Sweden gt The University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS) Norway gt University of Groningen (UoG) The Netherlands gt University of Tromsoslash (UiT) Norway

Observers gt Kings Bay AS (KB) Norway gt The Research Council of Norway (RCN) Norway gt Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System (SIOS) gt Svalbard Science Forum (SSF) Norway

Box 2Research in Svalbard (RiS) Portal The Research in Svalbard (RiS) Portal is the essential tool for researchers the Governor of Svalbard Kings Bay AS SSF NPI and others when it comes to information about research in Svalbard The portal facilitates finding new partners for collaboration and for coordinating fieldwork and logistics Hence RiS is a tool for thematic cooperation and logistics coordination for those carrying out research fieldwork and monitoring in Svalbard By using this open-access portal users gain information about projects and the participating researchers and institutions RiS also offers an overview of the fieldwork activity and of publications and metadata It is mandatory to register all research projects with activity in Ny-Aringlesund in RiS In addition RiS is a one-step portal and contains Kings Bay ASs booking module for ordering services in Ny-Aringlesund (travel lodging and use of infrastructure) as well as the Governors module for permit applications and reporting The portal is operated by the SSF Secretariat and is owned by the RCN To ensure that this portal remains an essential tool for research coordination overview and information the portal will be developed further

1514

4 World-class science

Well-developed research infrastructure an international research environment and extensive international research activity provides a unique environment for cooperation in Ny-Aringlesund The Research Station further provides a very comprehensive observing system for multidisciplinary research This combined with extraordinary accessibility and location enables the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station to be an important supplier of globally significant science

41 Scientific priority areas Research and monitoring activities in Ny-Aringlesund are to be within the natural sciences and should use the unique infra-structure and field possibilities that the area offers The area around Ny-Aringlesund is a limited resource and several research and monitoring activities are dependent on pristine condi-tions The historic environment is unique and an important cultural heritage site on Svalbard Cultural heritage research in Svalbard is therefore welcome in Ny-Aringlesund

Research in Ny-Aringlesund comprises the activities of various institutional national and international programmes Substantial portions of these activities are related and complementary To release its full potential four flagship programmes were established in the period 2009-2011 which in combination constitute most of the research and monitoring in Ny-Aringlesund The established flagship programmes are atmospheric research terrestrial ecosystems the Kongsfjorden system and glaciology research (see Box 3 for more information)

Zeppelin Observatory Photo Ove Hermansen NILU

Box 3Flagship programmes

The combination of a northern location a coastal setting a heterogenous landscape and relatively easy access has provided a unique environment for long-term research and time-series observations and makes Ny-Aringlesund a key location for research and environmental monitoring in the High Arctic

The research and monitoring activity in Ny-Aringlesund is organized in four broad and dynamic flagship programmes with extensive cross-disciplinary and cross-flagship collaboration The flagship programmes have regular meetings and are open to all scientists who are either actively engaged in studies in the area or who wish to develop new insights based on monitoring and research in the area

Further the flagship programmes function as arenas for contact coordination and cooperation in science

The Atmosphere Flagship focuses on measurements from the surface up to the upper atmosphere utilizing a wide array of different techniques and instruments The Kongsfjorden system ndash a high Arctic marine environment which is often influenced by influx of warmer Atlantic waters and thus highly sensitive to climate change in the Arctic ndash is the main scope of The Kongsfjorden system Flagship The Terrestrial Ecology Flagship brings together all studies on plant animals soil permafrost and lakes and coordinates field manipulations and study sites The Glaciology Flagship studies the cryosphere around Ny-Aringlesund especially fast-flowing surge type polythermal and calving glaciers

1716

42 Research quality High-quality research is conducted in Ny-Aringlesund and there is potential to increase the impact of this research even further Studies done by NIFU6 shows that Svalbard articles have been less cited than polar research generally (10-20 percent) NIFU reports have shown that publications with international col-laboration were cited more than the rest Citation rates vary somewhat by discipline but it appears that Svalbard articles including Ny-Aringlesund-based research are published in journals with lower citation rates than the journals most used to publish polar research in general Citation rates do not capture all aspects of quality however the NIFU findings suggest potential for improvement

The results of NIFUs studies suggest that measures to increase international cooperation and improve coordination of research in Svalbard may result in higher quality research outputs Research carried out in Ny-Aringlesund should strive to be placed in a pan-Arctic or global context and research results should be published in high-impact peer-reviewed journals It is important to exploit the diversity of Ny-Aringlesunds research communities further To improve dissemination of research activity the Research Station should produce a common annual report

The research institutions present in Ny-Aringlesund are expected to have high research ambitions and pursue international cooperation when this is beneficial To optimally exploit the unique research opportunities and develop the Research Station into an even better platform for high-quality research and long-term monitoring researchers are expected to take responsibility to encourage that

gt research projects are quality-assured prior to start-up and then maintain high professional standards

gt researchers collaborate with the best international partners in Ny-Aringlesund and elsewhere to enhance scientific quality

6 The term Ny-Aringlesund Research Station covers all research activity based in Ny-Aringlesund and the Kongsfjorden area

gt results are published in English in open internationally peer-reviewed journals

gt research is placed whenever possible in a wide context at the pan-Arctic or global level

Action point

gt the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station should present its ongoing scientific contributions in an annual report highlighting research results including a list of publications contribution to international networks and important research campaigns

The flagship programmes are networks that bring together scientists working in Ny-Aringlesund to enhance holistic approaches through long-term observations process under-standing and modelling The flagship programmes are led by a scientific committee with a Chair and a Co-chair Scientists contributing to the flagships are expected to further develop the science and work together to identify areas where addi-tional effort is needed They are also expected to take advan-tage of opportunities for synergies arising from the diversity of the international community and its many research dis- ciplines including cross-flagship activity

Ny-Aringlesund is a central reference station with important long-term climate and environment data series NySMAC and SSF have highlighted the potential and opportunities to develop an integrated monitoring programme for Ny-Aringlesund this should be developed further Key elements of this programme would be data accessibility and the use of data in research

Conditions for research in Ny-Aringlesund

gt Research is to be within the natural sciences5

gt Research is to make use of the arearsquos distinctive characteristics In general research that can significantly benefit from being done in Ny-Aringlesund should be prioritized

gt Research is to take environmental concerns into account and be within the Land-use plan and the Svalbard Environmental Protection Act

5 Exception for Culture heritage research

The actors are encouraged to

gt make sure that interference and overlap with other activities is avoided whenever possible

gt become familiar with and participate in the thematic flagship programmes

gt maintain long-time series and share data

gt ensure that all new projects identify themselves by registering their projects in the RiS-portal

gt discuss activities in NySMAC

Action points

gt Integrated monitoring programmes should be developed as a cooperation between institutions with monitoring activities

gt Research and research infrastructure priorities should be discussed in the flagship programmes and gap-analysis should be considered

gt Further development of the flagship programmes should be secured

Karin Springer University of Bremen Photo Kings Bay AS

1918

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riel

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Courses should not be a dominant activity in Ny-Aringlesund UNIS is a unique centre for university-level study and research in Svalbard Ny-Aringlesund is an important location for some of their course activities and courses based at the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS) will be given priority in Ny-Aringlesund

In order to have a good overview and secure coordination and transparency an overall assessment of the needs and desires for teaching activities will be required It may be appropriate to impose deadlines for submitting requests All course activity requests must include a reason why the course in question must be held in Ny-Aringlesund

SSF allocates funding for fieldwork in Svalbard in which the main priority is to support MSc students PhD students and researchers not currently established in Svalbard This grant-ing programme recruits the new generation of young scientist and facilitates the opportunity to conduct fieldwork in Svalbard (Box 4)

Action points

gt Recruitment in polar research by promoting involvement of MSc and PhD students in research projects should be encouraged

gt RCN will continue to support field activity for MSc students and PhD students through Arctic Field Grants

gt Develop procedures for facilitating course activities at MSc and PhD levels

43 Education There is a need for recruitment in polar research both in Norway and internationally Ny-Aringlesund is a unique learning site with access to infrastructure field locations and an important international research environment Ny-Aringlesund should contribute to the recruitment of a new generation of polar researchers by hosting masters students and doctoral fellowship-holders in connection with research projects

Courses are welcome in Ny-Aringlesund as long as the following criteria are met

gt They are targeted for MSc andor PhD (or similar level) education

gt The courses will use research infrastructure or unique field opportunities available on-site

gt They are within natural science disciplines

gt There is capacity at the station

gt Sufficient consideration to the cultural-historical attributes and natural environment are taken into account

Box 4Arctic Field Grant (AFG)

The Arctic Field Grant (AFG) has been awarded to more than 1600 researchers master and PhD students since 1953 The grant has been managed by the RCN since 2011 and has since that time allocated 22 million NOK to 435 projects including 148 PhD and 225 MSc students

Some facts about AFG gt 3 of 10 recipients are now pursuing a career in polar science because of AFG

gt 4 of 10 projects were conducted in Ny-Aringlesund

gt 5 of 10 projects resulted in a peer reviewed paper

gt 6 of 10 applications were successful

gt 8 of 10 recipients are MSc or PhD students

gt 9 of 10 former recipients and supervisors said AFG helps with recruitment of young scientists into polar research

Phot

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2322

5 Sustainable research production

The present scope of research activity in Ny-Aringlesund makes it necessary to strengthen the interaction cooperation and coordination of research activities to ensure sustainability Sustainable research production stimulates new innovative ideas and gives the opportunity to do basic research Further sustainable research refers to activity that has low environmental impact promotes effectiveness through optimal use of data avoids extensive overlap and makes the best possible use of the arearsquos distinctive character

51 Coordination of research activity Various forums for logistical and practical research coordina-tion in Ny-Aringlesund have been established The area has exten-sive research infrastructure and a long tradition of research cooperation NPI will facilitate day-to-day coordination of activity through a weekly meeting with representatives from all key actors present in Ny-Aringlesund

NySMAC contributes to coordination of the research activities in Ny-Aringlesund The committee has an essential role in developing cooperation between the institutions present in Ny-Aringlesund It also acts as an advisory body regarding cooper-ation and priorities to the research actors with ongoing or planned projects in the area

Kings Bay AS serves as the provider of research logistics and it develops and maintains research infrastructure for common use

The member-based consortium SIOS has a significant role regarding instrumentation and infrastructure in Ny-Aringlesund SIOS has a coordinating role in the optimization of observa-tion of earth system science from research infrastructure located in Ny-Aringlesund

SSF acts as a coordinating body for all research activity on Svalbard and will continue to contribute to and stimulate enhanced cooperation and collaboration between the four research communities Longyearbyen Ny-Aringlesund Barentsburg and Hornsund

Close cooperation between all the above-mentioned bodies is essential for the further development of the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

52 International cooperation The unique international community present in Ny-Aringlesund has a history of extensive cooperation which has been essen-tial to enhance quality in polar research There is however potential for further utilization of the extensive infrastructure that is established in Svalbard International cooperation and exchange are a prerequisite for maintaining a creative innova-tive and world-class scientific environment in Ny-Aringlesund

Promotion of cooperation between the research communities in Ny-Aringlesund Longyearbyen Hornsund and Barentsburg as well as between Svalbard and other research communities around the world is of great importance to enhance know- ledge on global issues

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53 Sharing and development of research infrastructure

Coordination of infrastructure and logistical services is key to better utilisation of research infrastructure In Ny-Aringlesund the area available for new buildings is limited It is therefore

crucial that existing buildings are used efficiently The need of efficient use of existing buildings has resulted in joint services provided at the Marine Laboratory Zeppelin Observatory Climate Change Tower Gruvebadet Vaskeri Lab MS Teisten Light Sensitive Cabin and the newly established Terrestrial Laboratory (see Box 5)

SSF stimulates cooperation and collaborative efforts between all research communities in Svalbard and within all research disciplines SSF facilitates the RiS-portal (Box 2) for sharing information regarding research projects being conducted any-where in Svalbard including the four permanently manned research communities in Svalbard (Ny-Aringlesund Longyearbyen Barentsburg and Hornsund) The RiS-portal is a unique tool for information exchange and for enhancing cooperation and coordination

SSF administers the Svalbard Strategic Grant (SSG) pro-gramme This is a seed money program aimed at advancing coordination collaboration and data sharing between researchers working with Svalbard research as well as increas-ing cooperation and coordination between the four research communities in Svalbard

A Svalbard Science Conference ndash with the goal of stimulating and inspiring cooperation in and advancement of the research conducted in Svalbard was held for the first time in 2017 This conference gathered scientists experts and relevant key players needed to put Svalbard research in a global context The success of this first meeting has resulted in a plan to have this conference continue on a biennial basis This international conference strives to increase connectivity broadening the research network and bringing Svalbard research into a pan-Arctic setting

Action points

gt RCN in cooperation with SSF will continue and further develop SSG and RiS to support cooperation and coordination of research in Svalbard

gt RCN and SSF will establish the Svalbard Science Conference in cooperation with NPI and other relevant partners as an important arena for cooperation and dissemination of research in Svalbard

Box 5Shared infrastructure The Marine Laboratory is an experimental laboratory for research in marine ecology physiology and biochemistry as well as oceanography marine geology and ice physics The Marine Lab is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS and booking is done through the RiS-portal

The Zeppelin Observatory is an observatory for atmospheric research and monitoring The Observatory is part of a network of very important global observatories for atmospheric measurements and part of several regional and global monitoring networks The observatory is located at the mountain Zeppelinfjellet 475 masl The Zeppelin Observatory is owned and managed by the Norwegian Polar Institute

The Climate Change Tower (CCT) with a height of 32 m hosts many instruments mainly to investigate energy budgets in the Earth surface layer boundary layer dynamics and exchange fluxes at the atmospherendashland interface CCT is owned and managed by the CNR

Gruvebadet is an atmospheric laboratory and observatory located 1 km from the centre of Ny-Aringlesund The building currently hosts instrument for atmosphere and aerosol measurements Gruvebadet is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS

The Vaskeri Lab is an older building that consists of several rooms some of which can be used for common labs fex for environmental or terrestrial laboratory work and is perfect for work with soil sediments animal sampling etc Vaskeri Lab is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS

MS Teisten is a small work boat 31 feet long and equipped to do smaller scientific operations and surveys in Kongsfjorden and Krossfjorden MS Teisten is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS and booking can be done through RiS

The Terrestrial Laboratory (Veksthuset) is located in the middle of town and includes brand new dry and semi-wet lab facilities The labs are expected to be ready for use from summer 2019 The lab is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS

The Light Sensitive Cabin is located 25 km from the centre of Ny-Aringlesund and is specially designed to host instruments that require minimal light contamination The cabin has four domes on the roof is connected to high-speed internet and is insulated The light sensitive cabin is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS

In addition there are some smaller observatoriesplatforms run by various institutions located at the various buildings in Ny-Aringlesund that host instruments for long-term monitoring Several of these are available for other users by request to the owner

Terrestrial Laboratory Photo Susanne Wasa Hagen Kings Bay AS

2726

55 Making information available Making information available to others is essential to estab-lish communication among on-going projects and initiatives The RiS-portal is the important tool to register projects and to find information about activities in Ny-Aringlesund

The flagship programmes have created meeting places for the largest disciplines in Ny-Aringlesund that are important for network building and increasing collaboration

NySMAC has established an internal Project Information and Discussion (PID) forum to share information regarding planned activities These collaborative tools are used by NySMAC in between the semi-annual meetings

To improve dissemination of information relevant to all researchers planning or engaged in activities in Ny-Aringlesund NPI and Kings Bay AS will develop a dedicated and comprehensive web site for Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

Researchers and institutes are expected to

gt register Svalbard-based research projects in RiS and keep the information updated

gt become familiar with other relevant activities by using RiS

Action points

gt SSF will further develop RiS and continue their efforts to ensure that RiS is used by researchers as an attractive portal for information regarding research and opportunities for thematic collaboration and logistics cooperation in Svalbard

gt Development of a dedicated and comprehensive web site for Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

Developing shared thematic laboratories will improve the utilisation of the buildings in Ny-Aringlesund Being an attractive provider of research infrastructure requires effective profes-sional operations efficient utilisation and a realistic cost level For this approach to succeed it is important to develop the existing buildings in accordance with research needs and to facilitate professional joint services that researchers find attractive Ny-Aringlesunds scientific community should take part in the decisions regarding development of new joint services to ensure that they match research needs Norwayrsquos long-term ambition is to further develop thematically-based research infrastructure in Ny-Aringlesund

SIOS is an important tool for sharing and collaborating in the utilisation of Svalbardrsquos infrastructure Scientists conducting earth system research in Ny-Aringlesund are encouraged to become members of SIOS SIOS offers opportunities to access the memberrsquos infrastructure and data through regular strategic calls Access will be based on scientific excellence Applica-tions for access should be made through SIOS decisions will be made in collaboration with the member responsible for the specific infrastructure Research infrastructure includes physical spaces such as laboratories as well as scientific instruments samples data and e-infrastructure

The actors are encouraged to

gt coordinate their activities in Ny-Aringlesund with those of other institutions to optimize research infrastructure utilisation

gt make infrastructure available to others

gt become members of SIOS

gt collaborate and coordinate use of logistics services

Action points

gt Draw up a ldquogap- analysisrdquo for the development of new infrastructure

gt Create a cost-efficiency model for Ny-Aringlesund that includes development of joint research infrastructure

54 Radio silence Ny-Aringlesund is a radio silent area with the long-term goal to further minimize the emissions of electromagnetic (radio wave) pollution Some important sensing-instruments like the VLBI radio telescopes at Norways geodetic laboratory need radio silence to function optimally The General authorisations regulations in Norway (fribruksforskriften) which allows use without permit for common equipment is not valid for the frequencies 2 GHzndash32 GHz within a 20 km radius from Ny-Aringlesund Technology using the 2 GHzndash32 GHz frequency range requires application to the National Communications Authority (Nkom)

Upholding a pristine environment also includes avoiding electro- magnetic pollution Ny-Aringlesund is a unique location world-wide in having radio silence while also providing the infra-structure and logistical support necessary for large-scale research installations Consequently maintaining radio silence is a key priority and efforts to develop the infrastructure to conduct necessary measurements outside the protected frequency band should be intensified For research that requires use of the radio frequency range in question and that cannot be conducted elsewhere in Svalbard it is neces-sary to have overview of frequencies in use in Ny-Aringlesund The radio silence working group established under NySMAC is important in this context

Action points

gt All actors have to contribute to maintain radio silence and prioritise research that does not interfere with the radio silence

gt Develop good procedures and priorities for the use of technology with active transmitters

Norwegian Mapping Authoritys new geodetic observatory Photo Helge Tore Markussen NPI

2928

6 Open access to data

7 Report No 30 (2008ndash2009) to the Storting a white paper on research policy Meld St 18 (2012ndash2013) the white paper Long-term perspectives ndash knowledge provides opportunity Meld St 27 (2015ndash2016) a white paper on Norwayrsquos digital agenda the Ministry of Education and Researchrsquos National strategy on access to and sharing of research data (2017) the EU Commissionrsquos decision to make open data access the norm in the Horizon 2020 programme its ldquoGuidelines on FAIR Data Management in Horizon 2020rdquo its publication ldquoOpen Innovation Open Science Open to the world ndash a vision for Europerdquo and the European Research Area and Innovation Committeersquos Opinion on Open Research Data etc

8 Ministry of Education and Researchrsquos National strategy on access to and sharing of research data (2017) 9 httpswwwforce11orggroupfairgroupfairprinciples10 SIOS Data Policy

Open access to data makes it easier to validate and assess findings as well as to use data in new ways Combining data facilitates more interdisciplinary research Open access to research data reduces duplication of effort increases efficiency and reduces environmental impacts Broader access to research data will strengthen the quality of research in Svalbard

Norwegian and international research policies7 emphasises that research data should be made openly accessible when no legitimate considerations prevent its accessibility or ldquoas open as possible as closed as necessaryrdquo8 This point is made in the Strategy for research and higher education in Svalbard in which the following Norwegian Government objective is expressed ldquoResearch communities active in Svalbard shall take the lead in moving towards shared research data and infrastructurerdquo

Strong metadata ie information about collection delinea-tion definition and other factors relevant for further use is a prerequisite for being able to find and interpret data It is therefore important that data producers are meticulous about standardising the methods and sharing metadata in a way that make data easier to use ideally in line with the FAIR- principles9 FAIR stands for findable accessible interoperable and reusable The concept interoperable entails that both data and metadata must be machine-readable and that a consist-ent terminology is used

The SIOS consortium has developed a data policy that is con-sistent with international principles including requirements for the availability and quality of metadata10 The members of SIOS which includes research conducted in Ny-Aringlesund and Svalbard will be obliged to comply with these principles Standardised metadata requirements should be established for all research in Ny-Aringlesund

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Contents

1 Vision and Objectives 7

2 Background 9

21 Development of research activities in Ny-Aringlesund 9

22 Framework for the strategy 10

3 Key institutions and forums for Ny-Aringlesund research 13

4 World-class science 17

41 Scientific priority areas 17

42 Research quality 19

43 Education 22

5 Sustainable research production 25

51 Coordination of research activity 25

52 International cooperation 25

53 Sharing and development of research infrastructure 26

54 Radio silence 28

55 Making information available29

6 Open access to data 31

Sammendrag 33

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1 Vision and Objectives

OBJECTIVES

gt World-class science

gt Sustainable research production

gt Open access to data

Ny-Aringlesund is the worldrsquos northernmost year-round research station that hosts and facilitates long-term observations and research activities Building on well-established international collaboration advanced research infrastructure and excellent science Ny-Aringlesund will be developed even further such that it is a world leading observation and research platform for natural sciences known for

gt easy access to a unique natural polar laboratory

gt the best routines for Arctic safety

gt efficiency and excellence in coordination collaboration

and information exchange

gt high-quality observation systems that are well connected

to international networks

gt state-of-the-art research infrastructure and research

facilities

gt open access to data and research infrastructure

gt a community with the highest quality scientists and

research activities

gt a good professional and social environment building on

trust and transparency

The further development of the research station and the research itself must take due consideration to the local environment This is important for sustaining the unique and pristine environment and cultural heritage on site All activities must comply with the Svalbard Environmental Protection Act as well as the Ny-Aringlesund land-use plan

Installation of mesocosms (EU-project EPOCA) Photo Ulf Riebesell GEOMAR

VISION

Ny-Aringlesund ndash the foremost research station for Arctic natural sciences

76

2 Background

1 Measured in researcher days Source NIFU report 201537

21 Development of research activities in Ny-Aringlesund

Today Ny-Aringlesund is a unique station for Arctic research and monitoring of environmental change It has easy access and a well-established research infrastructure From 1916 until 1962 Ny-Aringlesund was primarily a coal-mining town but research activity also had a presence in the towns early days For example it served as the departure point for several large-scale polar expeditions After the mining accident in 1962 the coal mining activity was terminated by Parliamentary decree and research became the main activity in the area Due to the history of Ny-Aringlesund most of its buildings are protected as cultural heritage These buildings constitute the largest collection of protected buildings in Svalbard The Kings Bay Company owns the land and most of the buildings in Ny-Aringlesund and has provided services for research activity in the area for decades

International research activity is extensive in Ny-Aringlesund More than 20 research institutions have long-term research and monitoring activities that operate out of Ny-Aringlesund According to studies done by the Nordic Institute for Studies in Innovation Research and Education (NIFU) the research activity1 in Ny-Aringlesund currently accounts for about 25 percent of the research activity in the Svalbard Archipelago

The presence of researchers from many different institutions offers unique opportunities for collaboration Such diversity also heightens the need for coordination Since 1994 the Ny-Aringlesund Science Managers Committee (NySMAC) has functioned as an important venue for coordination and cooperation among the research institutions in Ny-Aringlesund

Ny-Aringlesund monitoring activities play an important role in a variety of national and international monitoring programmes The research station is uniquely located for observing climate change effects and for undertaking research on how these changes influence both physical environments and resident plants and animals both regionally and globally Ny-Aringlesund is an important location for several national and global monitoring programmes that contribute data to important international agreements and conventions

Norway has made extensive investments in research infrastructure in Ny-Aringlesund both to stimulate research activities and to provide general infrastructure housing and logistics for the benefit of the international research community This includes the installation of a fibre-optic cable from Longyearbyen the establishment of the Norwegian Mapping Authorityrsquos new geodetic observatory (in 2018) and the completion of a new research building focussed on terrestrial ecology (in 2019) in recent years The sum of investments makes Ny-Aringlesund an outstanding site for Arctic research

The combination of Norwegian investments and support in setting up specialised research buildings and laboratories and the national and international institutional investments in research and advanced scientific equipment for monitoring and field work in Ny-Aringlesund have been key factors for success in establishing the worldrsquos most advanced and internationally oriented Arctic research station The interest and high-quality research contributions from the large number of international research institutions present in Ny-Aringlesund have been paramount for this development

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The Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI) is a directorate organized under the Ministry for Climate and Environment NPI will perform Norways host role in Ny-Aringlesund and is responsible for the implementation and daily follow-up of the research strategy locally NPI is thus the point of contact in Ny-Aringlesund for scientific research and associated activities such as questions regarding the planning of official visits NPI also has the over-riding responsibility to follow up the action points in this strategy unless otherwise stated Action points will be followed up in close cooperation with relevant actors with activity in Ny-Aringlesund

The research strategy for Ny-Aringlesund aims to strengthen scientific development and improve coordination Development and implementation of procedures for prioritising and allocating use of existing buildings and laboratories and further developing Ny-Aringlesundrsquos infrastructure buildings and services is important The strategy clearly defines Norwayrsquos expectations regarding quality cooperation openness data-sharing and results

4 The term Ny-Aringlesund Research Station covers all research activity based in Ny-Aringlesund and the Kongsfjorden area

The Research Council of Norway (RCN) was commissioned by the Norwegian Government through the White paper on Svalbard4 to develop the research strategy for Ny-Aringlesund Input from the scientific community and other relevant stakeholders has been crucial in finalising it They have given important insight in the well-established and excellent international cooperation on-site and shared their views and future priorities and plans

Regular dialogue will be established between the RCN NPI Kings Bay AS and relevant ministries to ensure that the strategy is appropriately followed up This includes making necessary decisions related to progress

RCN will periodically evaluate the status of the research and implementation of the strategy The strategy will be revised when necessary

22 Framework for the strategy Norwegian authorities have high ambitions for research in Svalbard2 A key ambition is to develop Ny-Aringlesund as a Norwegian platform for high quality international research higher education and environmental monitoring with global significance An important basis for this is a research strategy that emphasises how the unique research opportunities in Ny-Aringlesund can be more efficiently used through increased coordination of resource use and how clearer priorities and enhanced quality of the research can be achieved within the context of the international research community present in Ny-Aringlesund

The Government of Norway issued its Strategy for research and higher education in Svalbard in May 2018 that establishes the guidelines and principles for the research activities in Svalbard This strategy together with the Governmentrsquos White paper on Svalbard provide the overall framework for the research strategy for the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station3

2 Meld St 32 (2015ndash2016) white paper on Svalbard3 The term Ny-Aringlesund Research Station covers all research activity based in Ny-Aringlesund and the Kongsfjorden area

Important elements that apply to Ny-Aringlesund Research Station are in particular

gt Research is to exploit the arearsquos distinctive character as a clean natural science laboratory

gt The environment must remain as pristine as possible during all future development

gt Research is the prioritized activity in Ny-Aringlesund Other activities in and around Ny-Aringlesund must adapt to limit possible impact on the research activity

gt Ny-Aringlesund is a radio silent area because of important instruments that can be affected by radio emitting devices

gt Development will be towards a more thematically-based structure and shared-use of infrastructures to ensure optimal use

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3 Key institutions and forums for Ny-Aringlesund research

All research actors in Ny-Aringlesund have a responsibility to coordinate their activities with the other institutions on site This chapter describes the institutions with special responsibilities for coordination and operations as well as important forums for cooperation

Norwegian Polar Institute The Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI) is a directorate under the Ministry of Climate and Environment As a directorate it performs Norways host role in Ny-Aringlesund and is responsible for implementation and follow-up of the strategy locally NPI is the point of contact for scientific research and associated activities and has the overall on-site responsibility for ensuring coordination Accordingly NPI holds weekly meetings attended by representatives of other organisations working at the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

NPI is also Norwayrsquos central institute for environmental monitoring mapping and scientific research in the Polar Regions NPI has had a year-round presence in Ny-Aringlesund since 1968

Kings Bay AS Kings Bay AS is a limited company entirely owned by the Ministry of Climate and Environment Kings Bay AS owns the land that comprises the Broslashggerhalvoslashya Peninsula and Ny-Aringlesund As owner the company is responsible for the safety in the area and for the land-use plan The purpose of Kings Bay AS is to operate maintain and develop research infrastructure in Ny-Aringlesund and provide other necessary facilities and services Kings Bay AS serves as the point of contact to the Governor of Svalbard regarding safety matters is in charge of port and airport operations and provides board lodging and other logistics in Ny-Aringlesund The company offers services and facilitates the use of research infrastructure as well as having the responsibility for safeguarding cultural heritage sites on their property

Ny-Aringlesund Science Managers Committe The cooperative forum Ny-Aringlesund Science Managers Committee (NySMAC) was established in 1994 by the researchers in Ny-Aringlesund to enhance cooperation and coordination NySMAC contributes to the development of Ny-Aringlesund as an outstanding site for Arctic research through advancing cooperation between scientists and research projects and assisting in effective and sustainable utilization of Ny-Aringlesund as a research site As a major initiative to promote international collaboration NySMAC created the four flagship programmes (see chapter 41)

Any scientific institution that runs a long-term programme based in Ny-Aringlesund andor has significant research activities in Ny-Aringlesund is eligible to join NySMAC as a member New members are accepted following a consensus decision by NySMAC There are currently 18 member-institutions and four observers (see Box 1) NySMAC has a Chair and Co-chair these roles circulate among the member institutions The Chair and Co-chair are appointed for two years and each representative can serve for a maximum of two periods NPI serves as the forums Secretariat The committee plays an important role in coordinating research and infrastructure and sharing of information NySMAC serves as an adviser and collaborator regarding the development of research activity at the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

Phot

o K

arol

ine

Baelig

lum

S

SF

1312

SSF administers two funding schemes on behalf of RCN ndash the Svalbard Strategic Grant programme and the Arctic Field Grant programme (see also Box 4) The aim of these grants is to promote SSF priorities The funding is essential for maintaining and developing strategic research priorities for instance the Ny-Aringlesund flagship programmes The Arctic Field Grant is very important for recruitment It facilitates access to field work in Svalbard including Ny-Aringlesund for young scientists The SSF Secretariat is also responsible for operating and developing the unique coordination tool ndash the RiS-portal (see Box 2)

Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System

Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System (SIOS) addresses Earth System Science questions and is a Norwegian-initiated international large-scale research infrastructure programme that aims to establish a broadly distributed regional observing system for long-term measurements in and around the Svalbard Archipelago SIOS integrates existing observational infrastructure and generates added value for their members beyond what their individual capacities can provide The observing system strives to provide members with systematic high-quality observations in a cost-efficient and environmentally friendly manner

The consortium brings long-term measurements together into a coherent and integrated observational programme Within the member-based consortium of SIOS researchers can cooperate to access instruments acquire data and address questions that would not be practical or cost effective for a single institution or nation alone The knowledge centre the central hub of SIOS is located in the Svalbard Science Center in Longyearbyen and offers coordinated services for the research community A significant part of the instrumentation and infrastructure included in SIOS is physically located in Ny-Aringlesund SIOS is an observer in NySMAC

Institutions with national coordinating responsibilities

Several institutions with long-term research and monitoring activities in Ny-Aringlesund have national responsibilities as coordinators of their national activities at the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station These institutions are assessing and approving projects prior to registration in the Research in Svalbard (RiS) portal (see Box 2) They are expected to ensure that projects from their country comply with this research strategy minimize project overlap and ensure that projects are of high international calibre and that environmental concerns are addressed In cases of doubt the institution involved is encouraged to discuss with NySMAC prior to registration in the RiS-portal

NPI has the overall responsibility to ensure that all activities at the station are in line with this strategy and has the final authority to approve access

Svalbard Science Forum The Svalbard Science Forum (SSF) was established in 1998 to increase cooperation and coordination within Svalbard research SSF promotes open sharing of data and reduction of the environmental impact of research activities in the archipelago All research communities Longyearbyen Ny-Aringlesund Barentsburg and Hornsund are represented in SSF NySMAC represents the Ny-Aringlesund research community in the Forum The Research Council of Norway (RCN) serves as Chair of the SSF and is responsible for administering the permanent secretariat in Longyearbyen

Box 1NySMAC members and observers by April 2019

Members gt Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) Germany gt Andoslashya Space Center (ASC) Norway gt Chinese Arctic and Antarctic Administration (CAA) China gt Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) Italy gt GFZ German Research Centre for Geoscience (GFZ) Germany gt Institut Polaire Francais Paul Emile Victor (IPEV) France gt Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI) South Korea gt National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) India

gt National Institute of Polar Research (NIPR) Japan gt Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) UK gt Northern Research Institute Tromsoslash (NORUT) Norway gt Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU) Norway gt Norwegian Mapping Authority (NMA) Norway gt Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI) Norway gt Stockholm University (SU) Sweden gt The University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS) Norway gt University of Groningen (UoG) The Netherlands gt University of Tromsoslash (UiT) Norway

Observers gt Kings Bay AS (KB) Norway gt The Research Council of Norway (RCN) Norway gt Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System (SIOS) gt Svalbard Science Forum (SSF) Norway

Box 2Research in Svalbard (RiS) Portal The Research in Svalbard (RiS) Portal is the essential tool for researchers the Governor of Svalbard Kings Bay AS SSF NPI and others when it comes to information about research in Svalbard The portal facilitates finding new partners for collaboration and for coordinating fieldwork and logistics Hence RiS is a tool for thematic cooperation and logistics coordination for those carrying out research fieldwork and monitoring in Svalbard By using this open-access portal users gain information about projects and the participating researchers and institutions RiS also offers an overview of the fieldwork activity and of publications and metadata It is mandatory to register all research projects with activity in Ny-Aringlesund in RiS In addition RiS is a one-step portal and contains Kings Bay ASs booking module for ordering services in Ny-Aringlesund (travel lodging and use of infrastructure) as well as the Governors module for permit applications and reporting The portal is operated by the SSF Secretariat and is owned by the RCN To ensure that this portal remains an essential tool for research coordination overview and information the portal will be developed further

1514

4 World-class science

Well-developed research infrastructure an international research environment and extensive international research activity provides a unique environment for cooperation in Ny-Aringlesund The Research Station further provides a very comprehensive observing system for multidisciplinary research This combined with extraordinary accessibility and location enables the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station to be an important supplier of globally significant science

41 Scientific priority areas Research and monitoring activities in Ny-Aringlesund are to be within the natural sciences and should use the unique infra-structure and field possibilities that the area offers The area around Ny-Aringlesund is a limited resource and several research and monitoring activities are dependent on pristine condi-tions The historic environment is unique and an important cultural heritage site on Svalbard Cultural heritage research in Svalbard is therefore welcome in Ny-Aringlesund

Research in Ny-Aringlesund comprises the activities of various institutional national and international programmes Substantial portions of these activities are related and complementary To release its full potential four flagship programmes were established in the period 2009-2011 which in combination constitute most of the research and monitoring in Ny-Aringlesund The established flagship programmes are atmospheric research terrestrial ecosystems the Kongsfjorden system and glaciology research (see Box 3 for more information)

Zeppelin Observatory Photo Ove Hermansen NILU

Box 3Flagship programmes

The combination of a northern location a coastal setting a heterogenous landscape and relatively easy access has provided a unique environment for long-term research and time-series observations and makes Ny-Aringlesund a key location for research and environmental monitoring in the High Arctic

The research and monitoring activity in Ny-Aringlesund is organized in four broad and dynamic flagship programmes with extensive cross-disciplinary and cross-flagship collaboration The flagship programmes have regular meetings and are open to all scientists who are either actively engaged in studies in the area or who wish to develop new insights based on monitoring and research in the area

Further the flagship programmes function as arenas for contact coordination and cooperation in science

The Atmosphere Flagship focuses on measurements from the surface up to the upper atmosphere utilizing a wide array of different techniques and instruments The Kongsfjorden system ndash a high Arctic marine environment which is often influenced by influx of warmer Atlantic waters and thus highly sensitive to climate change in the Arctic ndash is the main scope of The Kongsfjorden system Flagship The Terrestrial Ecology Flagship brings together all studies on plant animals soil permafrost and lakes and coordinates field manipulations and study sites The Glaciology Flagship studies the cryosphere around Ny-Aringlesund especially fast-flowing surge type polythermal and calving glaciers

1716

42 Research quality High-quality research is conducted in Ny-Aringlesund and there is potential to increase the impact of this research even further Studies done by NIFU6 shows that Svalbard articles have been less cited than polar research generally (10-20 percent) NIFU reports have shown that publications with international col-laboration were cited more than the rest Citation rates vary somewhat by discipline but it appears that Svalbard articles including Ny-Aringlesund-based research are published in journals with lower citation rates than the journals most used to publish polar research in general Citation rates do not capture all aspects of quality however the NIFU findings suggest potential for improvement

The results of NIFUs studies suggest that measures to increase international cooperation and improve coordination of research in Svalbard may result in higher quality research outputs Research carried out in Ny-Aringlesund should strive to be placed in a pan-Arctic or global context and research results should be published in high-impact peer-reviewed journals It is important to exploit the diversity of Ny-Aringlesunds research communities further To improve dissemination of research activity the Research Station should produce a common annual report

The research institutions present in Ny-Aringlesund are expected to have high research ambitions and pursue international cooperation when this is beneficial To optimally exploit the unique research opportunities and develop the Research Station into an even better platform for high-quality research and long-term monitoring researchers are expected to take responsibility to encourage that

gt research projects are quality-assured prior to start-up and then maintain high professional standards

gt researchers collaborate with the best international partners in Ny-Aringlesund and elsewhere to enhance scientific quality

6 The term Ny-Aringlesund Research Station covers all research activity based in Ny-Aringlesund and the Kongsfjorden area

gt results are published in English in open internationally peer-reviewed journals

gt research is placed whenever possible in a wide context at the pan-Arctic or global level

Action point

gt the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station should present its ongoing scientific contributions in an annual report highlighting research results including a list of publications contribution to international networks and important research campaigns

The flagship programmes are networks that bring together scientists working in Ny-Aringlesund to enhance holistic approaches through long-term observations process under-standing and modelling The flagship programmes are led by a scientific committee with a Chair and a Co-chair Scientists contributing to the flagships are expected to further develop the science and work together to identify areas where addi-tional effort is needed They are also expected to take advan-tage of opportunities for synergies arising from the diversity of the international community and its many research dis- ciplines including cross-flagship activity

Ny-Aringlesund is a central reference station with important long-term climate and environment data series NySMAC and SSF have highlighted the potential and opportunities to develop an integrated monitoring programme for Ny-Aringlesund this should be developed further Key elements of this programme would be data accessibility and the use of data in research

Conditions for research in Ny-Aringlesund

gt Research is to be within the natural sciences5

gt Research is to make use of the arearsquos distinctive characteristics In general research that can significantly benefit from being done in Ny-Aringlesund should be prioritized

gt Research is to take environmental concerns into account and be within the Land-use plan and the Svalbard Environmental Protection Act

5 Exception for Culture heritage research

The actors are encouraged to

gt make sure that interference and overlap with other activities is avoided whenever possible

gt become familiar with and participate in the thematic flagship programmes

gt maintain long-time series and share data

gt ensure that all new projects identify themselves by registering their projects in the RiS-portal

gt discuss activities in NySMAC

Action points

gt Integrated monitoring programmes should be developed as a cooperation between institutions with monitoring activities

gt Research and research infrastructure priorities should be discussed in the flagship programmes and gap-analysis should be considered

gt Further development of the flagship programmes should be secured

Karin Springer University of Bremen Photo Kings Bay AS

1918

Phot

o G

eir W

ing

Gab

riel

sen

N

PI

2120

Courses should not be a dominant activity in Ny-Aringlesund UNIS is a unique centre for university-level study and research in Svalbard Ny-Aringlesund is an important location for some of their course activities and courses based at the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS) will be given priority in Ny-Aringlesund

In order to have a good overview and secure coordination and transparency an overall assessment of the needs and desires for teaching activities will be required It may be appropriate to impose deadlines for submitting requests All course activity requests must include a reason why the course in question must be held in Ny-Aringlesund

SSF allocates funding for fieldwork in Svalbard in which the main priority is to support MSc students PhD students and researchers not currently established in Svalbard This grant-ing programme recruits the new generation of young scientist and facilitates the opportunity to conduct fieldwork in Svalbard (Box 4)

Action points

gt Recruitment in polar research by promoting involvement of MSc and PhD students in research projects should be encouraged

gt RCN will continue to support field activity for MSc students and PhD students through Arctic Field Grants

gt Develop procedures for facilitating course activities at MSc and PhD levels

43 Education There is a need for recruitment in polar research both in Norway and internationally Ny-Aringlesund is a unique learning site with access to infrastructure field locations and an important international research environment Ny-Aringlesund should contribute to the recruitment of a new generation of polar researchers by hosting masters students and doctoral fellowship-holders in connection with research projects

Courses are welcome in Ny-Aringlesund as long as the following criteria are met

gt They are targeted for MSc andor PhD (or similar level) education

gt The courses will use research infrastructure or unique field opportunities available on-site

gt They are within natural science disciplines

gt There is capacity at the station

gt Sufficient consideration to the cultural-historical attributes and natural environment are taken into account

Box 4Arctic Field Grant (AFG)

The Arctic Field Grant (AFG) has been awarded to more than 1600 researchers master and PhD students since 1953 The grant has been managed by the RCN since 2011 and has since that time allocated 22 million NOK to 435 projects including 148 PhD and 225 MSc students

Some facts about AFG gt 3 of 10 recipients are now pursuing a career in polar science because of AFG

gt 4 of 10 projects were conducted in Ny-Aringlesund

gt 5 of 10 projects resulted in a peer reviewed paper

gt 6 of 10 applications were successful

gt 8 of 10 recipients are MSc or PhD students

gt 9 of 10 former recipients and supervisors said AFG helps with recruitment of young scientists into polar research

Phot

o S

teve

Cou

lson

U

NIS

2322

5 Sustainable research production

The present scope of research activity in Ny-Aringlesund makes it necessary to strengthen the interaction cooperation and coordination of research activities to ensure sustainability Sustainable research production stimulates new innovative ideas and gives the opportunity to do basic research Further sustainable research refers to activity that has low environmental impact promotes effectiveness through optimal use of data avoids extensive overlap and makes the best possible use of the arearsquos distinctive character

51 Coordination of research activity Various forums for logistical and practical research coordina-tion in Ny-Aringlesund have been established The area has exten-sive research infrastructure and a long tradition of research cooperation NPI will facilitate day-to-day coordination of activity through a weekly meeting with representatives from all key actors present in Ny-Aringlesund

NySMAC contributes to coordination of the research activities in Ny-Aringlesund The committee has an essential role in developing cooperation between the institutions present in Ny-Aringlesund It also acts as an advisory body regarding cooper-ation and priorities to the research actors with ongoing or planned projects in the area

Kings Bay AS serves as the provider of research logistics and it develops and maintains research infrastructure for common use

The member-based consortium SIOS has a significant role regarding instrumentation and infrastructure in Ny-Aringlesund SIOS has a coordinating role in the optimization of observa-tion of earth system science from research infrastructure located in Ny-Aringlesund

SSF acts as a coordinating body for all research activity on Svalbard and will continue to contribute to and stimulate enhanced cooperation and collaboration between the four research communities Longyearbyen Ny-Aringlesund Barentsburg and Hornsund

Close cooperation between all the above-mentioned bodies is essential for the further development of the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

52 International cooperation The unique international community present in Ny-Aringlesund has a history of extensive cooperation which has been essen-tial to enhance quality in polar research There is however potential for further utilization of the extensive infrastructure that is established in Svalbard International cooperation and exchange are a prerequisite for maintaining a creative innova-tive and world-class scientific environment in Ny-Aringlesund

Promotion of cooperation between the research communities in Ny-Aringlesund Longyearbyen Hornsund and Barentsburg as well as between Svalbard and other research communities around the world is of great importance to enhance know- ledge on global issues

Phot

o M

aria

nn

e Jo

han

sen

R

CN

2524

53 Sharing and development of research infrastructure

Coordination of infrastructure and logistical services is key to better utilisation of research infrastructure In Ny-Aringlesund the area available for new buildings is limited It is therefore

crucial that existing buildings are used efficiently The need of efficient use of existing buildings has resulted in joint services provided at the Marine Laboratory Zeppelin Observatory Climate Change Tower Gruvebadet Vaskeri Lab MS Teisten Light Sensitive Cabin and the newly established Terrestrial Laboratory (see Box 5)

SSF stimulates cooperation and collaborative efforts between all research communities in Svalbard and within all research disciplines SSF facilitates the RiS-portal (Box 2) for sharing information regarding research projects being conducted any-where in Svalbard including the four permanently manned research communities in Svalbard (Ny-Aringlesund Longyearbyen Barentsburg and Hornsund) The RiS-portal is a unique tool for information exchange and for enhancing cooperation and coordination

SSF administers the Svalbard Strategic Grant (SSG) pro-gramme This is a seed money program aimed at advancing coordination collaboration and data sharing between researchers working with Svalbard research as well as increas-ing cooperation and coordination between the four research communities in Svalbard

A Svalbard Science Conference ndash with the goal of stimulating and inspiring cooperation in and advancement of the research conducted in Svalbard was held for the first time in 2017 This conference gathered scientists experts and relevant key players needed to put Svalbard research in a global context The success of this first meeting has resulted in a plan to have this conference continue on a biennial basis This international conference strives to increase connectivity broadening the research network and bringing Svalbard research into a pan-Arctic setting

Action points

gt RCN in cooperation with SSF will continue and further develop SSG and RiS to support cooperation and coordination of research in Svalbard

gt RCN and SSF will establish the Svalbard Science Conference in cooperation with NPI and other relevant partners as an important arena for cooperation and dissemination of research in Svalbard

Box 5Shared infrastructure The Marine Laboratory is an experimental laboratory for research in marine ecology physiology and biochemistry as well as oceanography marine geology and ice physics The Marine Lab is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS and booking is done through the RiS-portal

The Zeppelin Observatory is an observatory for atmospheric research and monitoring The Observatory is part of a network of very important global observatories for atmospheric measurements and part of several regional and global monitoring networks The observatory is located at the mountain Zeppelinfjellet 475 masl The Zeppelin Observatory is owned and managed by the Norwegian Polar Institute

The Climate Change Tower (CCT) with a height of 32 m hosts many instruments mainly to investigate energy budgets in the Earth surface layer boundary layer dynamics and exchange fluxes at the atmospherendashland interface CCT is owned and managed by the CNR

Gruvebadet is an atmospheric laboratory and observatory located 1 km from the centre of Ny-Aringlesund The building currently hosts instrument for atmosphere and aerosol measurements Gruvebadet is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS

The Vaskeri Lab is an older building that consists of several rooms some of which can be used for common labs fex for environmental or terrestrial laboratory work and is perfect for work with soil sediments animal sampling etc Vaskeri Lab is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS

MS Teisten is a small work boat 31 feet long and equipped to do smaller scientific operations and surveys in Kongsfjorden and Krossfjorden MS Teisten is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS and booking can be done through RiS

The Terrestrial Laboratory (Veksthuset) is located in the middle of town and includes brand new dry and semi-wet lab facilities The labs are expected to be ready for use from summer 2019 The lab is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS

The Light Sensitive Cabin is located 25 km from the centre of Ny-Aringlesund and is specially designed to host instruments that require minimal light contamination The cabin has four domes on the roof is connected to high-speed internet and is insulated The light sensitive cabin is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS

In addition there are some smaller observatoriesplatforms run by various institutions located at the various buildings in Ny-Aringlesund that host instruments for long-term monitoring Several of these are available for other users by request to the owner

Terrestrial Laboratory Photo Susanne Wasa Hagen Kings Bay AS

2726

55 Making information available Making information available to others is essential to estab-lish communication among on-going projects and initiatives The RiS-portal is the important tool to register projects and to find information about activities in Ny-Aringlesund

The flagship programmes have created meeting places for the largest disciplines in Ny-Aringlesund that are important for network building and increasing collaboration

NySMAC has established an internal Project Information and Discussion (PID) forum to share information regarding planned activities These collaborative tools are used by NySMAC in between the semi-annual meetings

To improve dissemination of information relevant to all researchers planning or engaged in activities in Ny-Aringlesund NPI and Kings Bay AS will develop a dedicated and comprehensive web site for Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

Researchers and institutes are expected to

gt register Svalbard-based research projects in RiS and keep the information updated

gt become familiar with other relevant activities by using RiS

Action points

gt SSF will further develop RiS and continue their efforts to ensure that RiS is used by researchers as an attractive portal for information regarding research and opportunities for thematic collaboration and logistics cooperation in Svalbard

gt Development of a dedicated and comprehensive web site for Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

Developing shared thematic laboratories will improve the utilisation of the buildings in Ny-Aringlesund Being an attractive provider of research infrastructure requires effective profes-sional operations efficient utilisation and a realistic cost level For this approach to succeed it is important to develop the existing buildings in accordance with research needs and to facilitate professional joint services that researchers find attractive Ny-Aringlesunds scientific community should take part in the decisions regarding development of new joint services to ensure that they match research needs Norwayrsquos long-term ambition is to further develop thematically-based research infrastructure in Ny-Aringlesund

SIOS is an important tool for sharing and collaborating in the utilisation of Svalbardrsquos infrastructure Scientists conducting earth system research in Ny-Aringlesund are encouraged to become members of SIOS SIOS offers opportunities to access the memberrsquos infrastructure and data through regular strategic calls Access will be based on scientific excellence Applica-tions for access should be made through SIOS decisions will be made in collaboration with the member responsible for the specific infrastructure Research infrastructure includes physical spaces such as laboratories as well as scientific instruments samples data and e-infrastructure

The actors are encouraged to

gt coordinate their activities in Ny-Aringlesund with those of other institutions to optimize research infrastructure utilisation

gt make infrastructure available to others

gt become members of SIOS

gt collaborate and coordinate use of logistics services

Action points

gt Draw up a ldquogap- analysisrdquo for the development of new infrastructure

gt Create a cost-efficiency model for Ny-Aringlesund that includes development of joint research infrastructure

54 Radio silence Ny-Aringlesund is a radio silent area with the long-term goal to further minimize the emissions of electromagnetic (radio wave) pollution Some important sensing-instruments like the VLBI radio telescopes at Norways geodetic laboratory need radio silence to function optimally The General authorisations regulations in Norway (fribruksforskriften) which allows use without permit for common equipment is not valid for the frequencies 2 GHzndash32 GHz within a 20 km radius from Ny-Aringlesund Technology using the 2 GHzndash32 GHz frequency range requires application to the National Communications Authority (Nkom)

Upholding a pristine environment also includes avoiding electro- magnetic pollution Ny-Aringlesund is a unique location world-wide in having radio silence while also providing the infra-structure and logistical support necessary for large-scale research installations Consequently maintaining radio silence is a key priority and efforts to develop the infrastructure to conduct necessary measurements outside the protected frequency band should be intensified For research that requires use of the radio frequency range in question and that cannot be conducted elsewhere in Svalbard it is neces-sary to have overview of frequencies in use in Ny-Aringlesund The radio silence working group established under NySMAC is important in this context

Action points

gt All actors have to contribute to maintain radio silence and prioritise research that does not interfere with the radio silence

gt Develop good procedures and priorities for the use of technology with active transmitters

Norwegian Mapping Authoritys new geodetic observatory Photo Helge Tore Markussen NPI

2928

6 Open access to data

7 Report No 30 (2008ndash2009) to the Storting a white paper on research policy Meld St 18 (2012ndash2013) the white paper Long-term perspectives ndash knowledge provides opportunity Meld St 27 (2015ndash2016) a white paper on Norwayrsquos digital agenda the Ministry of Education and Researchrsquos National strategy on access to and sharing of research data (2017) the EU Commissionrsquos decision to make open data access the norm in the Horizon 2020 programme its ldquoGuidelines on FAIR Data Management in Horizon 2020rdquo its publication ldquoOpen Innovation Open Science Open to the world ndash a vision for Europerdquo and the European Research Area and Innovation Committeersquos Opinion on Open Research Data etc

8 Ministry of Education and Researchrsquos National strategy on access to and sharing of research data (2017) 9 httpswwwforce11orggroupfairgroupfairprinciples10 SIOS Data Policy

Open access to data makes it easier to validate and assess findings as well as to use data in new ways Combining data facilitates more interdisciplinary research Open access to research data reduces duplication of effort increases efficiency and reduces environmental impacts Broader access to research data will strengthen the quality of research in Svalbard

Norwegian and international research policies7 emphasises that research data should be made openly accessible when no legitimate considerations prevent its accessibility or ldquoas open as possible as closed as necessaryrdquo8 This point is made in the Strategy for research and higher education in Svalbard in which the following Norwegian Government objective is expressed ldquoResearch communities active in Svalbard shall take the lead in moving towards shared research data and infrastructurerdquo

Strong metadata ie information about collection delinea-tion definition and other factors relevant for further use is a prerequisite for being able to find and interpret data It is therefore important that data producers are meticulous about standardising the methods and sharing metadata in a way that make data easier to use ideally in line with the FAIR- principles9 FAIR stands for findable accessible interoperable and reusable The concept interoperable entails that both data and metadata must be machine-readable and that a consist-ent terminology is used

The SIOS consortium has developed a data policy that is con-sistent with international principles including requirements for the availability and quality of metadata10 The members of SIOS which includes research conducted in Ny-Aringlesund and Svalbard will be obliged to comply with these principles Standardised metadata requirements should be established for all research in Ny-Aringlesund

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1 Vision and Objectives

OBJECTIVES

gt World-class science

gt Sustainable research production

gt Open access to data

Ny-Aringlesund is the worldrsquos northernmost year-round research station that hosts and facilitates long-term observations and research activities Building on well-established international collaboration advanced research infrastructure and excellent science Ny-Aringlesund will be developed even further such that it is a world leading observation and research platform for natural sciences known for

gt easy access to a unique natural polar laboratory

gt the best routines for Arctic safety

gt efficiency and excellence in coordination collaboration

and information exchange

gt high-quality observation systems that are well connected

to international networks

gt state-of-the-art research infrastructure and research

facilities

gt open access to data and research infrastructure

gt a community with the highest quality scientists and

research activities

gt a good professional and social environment building on

trust and transparency

The further development of the research station and the research itself must take due consideration to the local environment This is important for sustaining the unique and pristine environment and cultural heritage on site All activities must comply with the Svalbard Environmental Protection Act as well as the Ny-Aringlesund land-use plan

Installation of mesocosms (EU-project EPOCA) Photo Ulf Riebesell GEOMAR

VISION

Ny-Aringlesund ndash the foremost research station for Arctic natural sciences

76

2 Background

1 Measured in researcher days Source NIFU report 201537

21 Development of research activities in Ny-Aringlesund

Today Ny-Aringlesund is a unique station for Arctic research and monitoring of environmental change It has easy access and a well-established research infrastructure From 1916 until 1962 Ny-Aringlesund was primarily a coal-mining town but research activity also had a presence in the towns early days For example it served as the departure point for several large-scale polar expeditions After the mining accident in 1962 the coal mining activity was terminated by Parliamentary decree and research became the main activity in the area Due to the history of Ny-Aringlesund most of its buildings are protected as cultural heritage These buildings constitute the largest collection of protected buildings in Svalbard The Kings Bay Company owns the land and most of the buildings in Ny-Aringlesund and has provided services for research activity in the area for decades

International research activity is extensive in Ny-Aringlesund More than 20 research institutions have long-term research and monitoring activities that operate out of Ny-Aringlesund According to studies done by the Nordic Institute for Studies in Innovation Research and Education (NIFU) the research activity1 in Ny-Aringlesund currently accounts for about 25 percent of the research activity in the Svalbard Archipelago

The presence of researchers from many different institutions offers unique opportunities for collaboration Such diversity also heightens the need for coordination Since 1994 the Ny-Aringlesund Science Managers Committee (NySMAC) has functioned as an important venue for coordination and cooperation among the research institutions in Ny-Aringlesund

Ny-Aringlesund monitoring activities play an important role in a variety of national and international monitoring programmes The research station is uniquely located for observing climate change effects and for undertaking research on how these changes influence both physical environments and resident plants and animals both regionally and globally Ny-Aringlesund is an important location for several national and global monitoring programmes that contribute data to important international agreements and conventions

Norway has made extensive investments in research infrastructure in Ny-Aringlesund both to stimulate research activities and to provide general infrastructure housing and logistics for the benefit of the international research community This includes the installation of a fibre-optic cable from Longyearbyen the establishment of the Norwegian Mapping Authorityrsquos new geodetic observatory (in 2018) and the completion of a new research building focussed on terrestrial ecology (in 2019) in recent years The sum of investments makes Ny-Aringlesund an outstanding site for Arctic research

The combination of Norwegian investments and support in setting up specialised research buildings and laboratories and the national and international institutional investments in research and advanced scientific equipment for monitoring and field work in Ny-Aringlesund have been key factors for success in establishing the worldrsquos most advanced and internationally oriented Arctic research station The interest and high-quality research contributions from the large number of international research institutions present in Ny-Aringlesund have been paramount for this development

Phot

o E

irik

Hel

lan

d U

rke

98

The Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI) is a directorate organized under the Ministry for Climate and Environment NPI will perform Norways host role in Ny-Aringlesund and is responsible for the implementation and daily follow-up of the research strategy locally NPI is thus the point of contact in Ny-Aringlesund for scientific research and associated activities such as questions regarding the planning of official visits NPI also has the over-riding responsibility to follow up the action points in this strategy unless otherwise stated Action points will be followed up in close cooperation with relevant actors with activity in Ny-Aringlesund

The research strategy for Ny-Aringlesund aims to strengthen scientific development and improve coordination Development and implementation of procedures for prioritising and allocating use of existing buildings and laboratories and further developing Ny-Aringlesundrsquos infrastructure buildings and services is important The strategy clearly defines Norwayrsquos expectations regarding quality cooperation openness data-sharing and results

4 The term Ny-Aringlesund Research Station covers all research activity based in Ny-Aringlesund and the Kongsfjorden area

The Research Council of Norway (RCN) was commissioned by the Norwegian Government through the White paper on Svalbard4 to develop the research strategy for Ny-Aringlesund Input from the scientific community and other relevant stakeholders has been crucial in finalising it They have given important insight in the well-established and excellent international cooperation on-site and shared their views and future priorities and plans

Regular dialogue will be established between the RCN NPI Kings Bay AS and relevant ministries to ensure that the strategy is appropriately followed up This includes making necessary decisions related to progress

RCN will periodically evaluate the status of the research and implementation of the strategy The strategy will be revised when necessary

22 Framework for the strategy Norwegian authorities have high ambitions for research in Svalbard2 A key ambition is to develop Ny-Aringlesund as a Norwegian platform for high quality international research higher education and environmental monitoring with global significance An important basis for this is a research strategy that emphasises how the unique research opportunities in Ny-Aringlesund can be more efficiently used through increased coordination of resource use and how clearer priorities and enhanced quality of the research can be achieved within the context of the international research community present in Ny-Aringlesund

The Government of Norway issued its Strategy for research and higher education in Svalbard in May 2018 that establishes the guidelines and principles for the research activities in Svalbard This strategy together with the Governmentrsquos White paper on Svalbard provide the overall framework for the research strategy for the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station3

2 Meld St 32 (2015ndash2016) white paper on Svalbard3 The term Ny-Aringlesund Research Station covers all research activity based in Ny-Aringlesund and the Kongsfjorden area

Important elements that apply to Ny-Aringlesund Research Station are in particular

gt Research is to exploit the arearsquos distinctive character as a clean natural science laboratory

gt The environment must remain as pristine as possible during all future development

gt Research is the prioritized activity in Ny-Aringlesund Other activities in and around Ny-Aringlesund must adapt to limit possible impact on the research activity

gt Ny-Aringlesund is a radio silent area because of important instruments that can be affected by radio emitting devices

gt Development will be towards a more thematically-based structure and shared-use of infrastructures to ensure optimal use

Phot

o Oacute

lafu

r In

goacutelf

sson

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NIS

1110

3 Key institutions and forums for Ny-Aringlesund research

All research actors in Ny-Aringlesund have a responsibility to coordinate their activities with the other institutions on site This chapter describes the institutions with special responsibilities for coordination and operations as well as important forums for cooperation

Norwegian Polar Institute The Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI) is a directorate under the Ministry of Climate and Environment As a directorate it performs Norways host role in Ny-Aringlesund and is responsible for implementation and follow-up of the strategy locally NPI is the point of contact for scientific research and associated activities and has the overall on-site responsibility for ensuring coordination Accordingly NPI holds weekly meetings attended by representatives of other organisations working at the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

NPI is also Norwayrsquos central institute for environmental monitoring mapping and scientific research in the Polar Regions NPI has had a year-round presence in Ny-Aringlesund since 1968

Kings Bay AS Kings Bay AS is a limited company entirely owned by the Ministry of Climate and Environment Kings Bay AS owns the land that comprises the Broslashggerhalvoslashya Peninsula and Ny-Aringlesund As owner the company is responsible for the safety in the area and for the land-use plan The purpose of Kings Bay AS is to operate maintain and develop research infrastructure in Ny-Aringlesund and provide other necessary facilities and services Kings Bay AS serves as the point of contact to the Governor of Svalbard regarding safety matters is in charge of port and airport operations and provides board lodging and other logistics in Ny-Aringlesund The company offers services and facilitates the use of research infrastructure as well as having the responsibility for safeguarding cultural heritage sites on their property

Ny-Aringlesund Science Managers Committe The cooperative forum Ny-Aringlesund Science Managers Committee (NySMAC) was established in 1994 by the researchers in Ny-Aringlesund to enhance cooperation and coordination NySMAC contributes to the development of Ny-Aringlesund as an outstanding site for Arctic research through advancing cooperation between scientists and research projects and assisting in effective and sustainable utilization of Ny-Aringlesund as a research site As a major initiative to promote international collaboration NySMAC created the four flagship programmes (see chapter 41)

Any scientific institution that runs a long-term programme based in Ny-Aringlesund andor has significant research activities in Ny-Aringlesund is eligible to join NySMAC as a member New members are accepted following a consensus decision by NySMAC There are currently 18 member-institutions and four observers (see Box 1) NySMAC has a Chair and Co-chair these roles circulate among the member institutions The Chair and Co-chair are appointed for two years and each representative can serve for a maximum of two periods NPI serves as the forums Secretariat The committee plays an important role in coordinating research and infrastructure and sharing of information NySMAC serves as an adviser and collaborator regarding the development of research activity at the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

Phot

o K

arol

ine

Baelig

lum

S

SF

1312

SSF administers two funding schemes on behalf of RCN ndash the Svalbard Strategic Grant programme and the Arctic Field Grant programme (see also Box 4) The aim of these grants is to promote SSF priorities The funding is essential for maintaining and developing strategic research priorities for instance the Ny-Aringlesund flagship programmes The Arctic Field Grant is very important for recruitment It facilitates access to field work in Svalbard including Ny-Aringlesund for young scientists The SSF Secretariat is also responsible for operating and developing the unique coordination tool ndash the RiS-portal (see Box 2)

Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System

Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System (SIOS) addresses Earth System Science questions and is a Norwegian-initiated international large-scale research infrastructure programme that aims to establish a broadly distributed regional observing system for long-term measurements in and around the Svalbard Archipelago SIOS integrates existing observational infrastructure and generates added value for their members beyond what their individual capacities can provide The observing system strives to provide members with systematic high-quality observations in a cost-efficient and environmentally friendly manner

The consortium brings long-term measurements together into a coherent and integrated observational programme Within the member-based consortium of SIOS researchers can cooperate to access instruments acquire data and address questions that would not be practical or cost effective for a single institution or nation alone The knowledge centre the central hub of SIOS is located in the Svalbard Science Center in Longyearbyen and offers coordinated services for the research community A significant part of the instrumentation and infrastructure included in SIOS is physically located in Ny-Aringlesund SIOS is an observer in NySMAC

Institutions with national coordinating responsibilities

Several institutions with long-term research and monitoring activities in Ny-Aringlesund have national responsibilities as coordinators of their national activities at the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station These institutions are assessing and approving projects prior to registration in the Research in Svalbard (RiS) portal (see Box 2) They are expected to ensure that projects from their country comply with this research strategy minimize project overlap and ensure that projects are of high international calibre and that environmental concerns are addressed In cases of doubt the institution involved is encouraged to discuss with NySMAC prior to registration in the RiS-portal

NPI has the overall responsibility to ensure that all activities at the station are in line with this strategy and has the final authority to approve access

Svalbard Science Forum The Svalbard Science Forum (SSF) was established in 1998 to increase cooperation and coordination within Svalbard research SSF promotes open sharing of data and reduction of the environmental impact of research activities in the archipelago All research communities Longyearbyen Ny-Aringlesund Barentsburg and Hornsund are represented in SSF NySMAC represents the Ny-Aringlesund research community in the Forum The Research Council of Norway (RCN) serves as Chair of the SSF and is responsible for administering the permanent secretariat in Longyearbyen

Box 1NySMAC members and observers by April 2019

Members gt Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) Germany gt Andoslashya Space Center (ASC) Norway gt Chinese Arctic and Antarctic Administration (CAA) China gt Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) Italy gt GFZ German Research Centre for Geoscience (GFZ) Germany gt Institut Polaire Francais Paul Emile Victor (IPEV) France gt Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI) South Korea gt National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) India

gt National Institute of Polar Research (NIPR) Japan gt Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) UK gt Northern Research Institute Tromsoslash (NORUT) Norway gt Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU) Norway gt Norwegian Mapping Authority (NMA) Norway gt Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI) Norway gt Stockholm University (SU) Sweden gt The University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS) Norway gt University of Groningen (UoG) The Netherlands gt University of Tromsoslash (UiT) Norway

Observers gt Kings Bay AS (KB) Norway gt The Research Council of Norway (RCN) Norway gt Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System (SIOS) gt Svalbard Science Forum (SSF) Norway

Box 2Research in Svalbard (RiS) Portal The Research in Svalbard (RiS) Portal is the essential tool for researchers the Governor of Svalbard Kings Bay AS SSF NPI and others when it comes to information about research in Svalbard The portal facilitates finding new partners for collaboration and for coordinating fieldwork and logistics Hence RiS is a tool for thematic cooperation and logistics coordination for those carrying out research fieldwork and monitoring in Svalbard By using this open-access portal users gain information about projects and the participating researchers and institutions RiS also offers an overview of the fieldwork activity and of publications and metadata It is mandatory to register all research projects with activity in Ny-Aringlesund in RiS In addition RiS is a one-step portal and contains Kings Bay ASs booking module for ordering services in Ny-Aringlesund (travel lodging and use of infrastructure) as well as the Governors module for permit applications and reporting The portal is operated by the SSF Secretariat and is owned by the RCN To ensure that this portal remains an essential tool for research coordination overview and information the portal will be developed further

1514

4 World-class science

Well-developed research infrastructure an international research environment and extensive international research activity provides a unique environment for cooperation in Ny-Aringlesund The Research Station further provides a very comprehensive observing system for multidisciplinary research This combined with extraordinary accessibility and location enables the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station to be an important supplier of globally significant science

41 Scientific priority areas Research and monitoring activities in Ny-Aringlesund are to be within the natural sciences and should use the unique infra-structure and field possibilities that the area offers The area around Ny-Aringlesund is a limited resource and several research and monitoring activities are dependent on pristine condi-tions The historic environment is unique and an important cultural heritage site on Svalbard Cultural heritage research in Svalbard is therefore welcome in Ny-Aringlesund

Research in Ny-Aringlesund comprises the activities of various institutional national and international programmes Substantial portions of these activities are related and complementary To release its full potential four flagship programmes were established in the period 2009-2011 which in combination constitute most of the research and monitoring in Ny-Aringlesund The established flagship programmes are atmospheric research terrestrial ecosystems the Kongsfjorden system and glaciology research (see Box 3 for more information)

Zeppelin Observatory Photo Ove Hermansen NILU

Box 3Flagship programmes

The combination of a northern location a coastal setting a heterogenous landscape and relatively easy access has provided a unique environment for long-term research and time-series observations and makes Ny-Aringlesund a key location for research and environmental monitoring in the High Arctic

The research and monitoring activity in Ny-Aringlesund is organized in four broad and dynamic flagship programmes with extensive cross-disciplinary and cross-flagship collaboration The flagship programmes have regular meetings and are open to all scientists who are either actively engaged in studies in the area or who wish to develop new insights based on monitoring and research in the area

Further the flagship programmes function as arenas for contact coordination and cooperation in science

The Atmosphere Flagship focuses on measurements from the surface up to the upper atmosphere utilizing a wide array of different techniques and instruments The Kongsfjorden system ndash a high Arctic marine environment which is often influenced by influx of warmer Atlantic waters and thus highly sensitive to climate change in the Arctic ndash is the main scope of The Kongsfjorden system Flagship The Terrestrial Ecology Flagship brings together all studies on plant animals soil permafrost and lakes and coordinates field manipulations and study sites The Glaciology Flagship studies the cryosphere around Ny-Aringlesund especially fast-flowing surge type polythermal and calving glaciers

1716

42 Research quality High-quality research is conducted in Ny-Aringlesund and there is potential to increase the impact of this research even further Studies done by NIFU6 shows that Svalbard articles have been less cited than polar research generally (10-20 percent) NIFU reports have shown that publications with international col-laboration were cited more than the rest Citation rates vary somewhat by discipline but it appears that Svalbard articles including Ny-Aringlesund-based research are published in journals with lower citation rates than the journals most used to publish polar research in general Citation rates do not capture all aspects of quality however the NIFU findings suggest potential for improvement

The results of NIFUs studies suggest that measures to increase international cooperation and improve coordination of research in Svalbard may result in higher quality research outputs Research carried out in Ny-Aringlesund should strive to be placed in a pan-Arctic or global context and research results should be published in high-impact peer-reviewed journals It is important to exploit the diversity of Ny-Aringlesunds research communities further To improve dissemination of research activity the Research Station should produce a common annual report

The research institutions present in Ny-Aringlesund are expected to have high research ambitions and pursue international cooperation when this is beneficial To optimally exploit the unique research opportunities and develop the Research Station into an even better platform for high-quality research and long-term monitoring researchers are expected to take responsibility to encourage that

gt research projects are quality-assured prior to start-up and then maintain high professional standards

gt researchers collaborate with the best international partners in Ny-Aringlesund and elsewhere to enhance scientific quality

6 The term Ny-Aringlesund Research Station covers all research activity based in Ny-Aringlesund and the Kongsfjorden area

gt results are published in English in open internationally peer-reviewed journals

gt research is placed whenever possible in a wide context at the pan-Arctic or global level

Action point

gt the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station should present its ongoing scientific contributions in an annual report highlighting research results including a list of publications contribution to international networks and important research campaigns

The flagship programmes are networks that bring together scientists working in Ny-Aringlesund to enhance holistic approaches through long-term observations process under-standing and modelling The flagship programmes are led by a scientific committee with a Chair and a Co-chair Scientists contributing to the flagships are expected to further develop the science and work together to identify areas where addi-tional effort is needed They are also expected to take advan-tage of opportunities for synergies arising from the diversity of the international community and its many research dis- ciplines including cross-flagship activity

Ny-Aringlesund is a central reference station with important long-term climate and environment data series NySMAC and SSF have highlighted the potential and opportunities to develop an integrated monitoring programme for Ny-Aringlesund this should be developed further Key elements of this programme would be data accessibility and the use of data in research

Conditions for research in Ny-Aringlesund

gt Research is to be within the natural sciences5

gt Research is to make use of the arearsquos distinctive characteristics In general research that can significantly benefit from being done in Ny-Aringlesund should be prioritized

gt Research is to take environmental concerns into account and be within the Land-use plan and the Svalbard Environmental Protection Act

5 Exception for Culture heritage research

The actors are encouraged to

gt make sure that interference and overlap with other activities is avoided whenever possible

gt become familiar with and participate in the thematic flagship programmes

gt maintain long-time series and share data

gt ensure that all new projects identify themselves by registering their projects in the RiS-portal

gt discuss activities in NySMAC

Action points

gt Integrated monitoring programmes should be developed as a cooperation between institutions with monitoring activities

gt Research and research infrastructure priorities should be discussed in the flagship programmes and gap-analysis should be considered

gt Further development of the flagship programmes should be secured

Karin Springer University of Bremen Photo Kings Bay AS

1918

Phot

o G

eir W

ing

Gab

riel

sen

N

PI

2120

Courses should not be a dominant activity in Ny-Aringlesund UNIS is a unique centre for university-level study and research in Svalbard Ny-Aringlesund is an important location for some of their course activities and courses based at the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS) will be given priority in Ny-Aringlesund

In order to have a good overview and secure coordination and transparency an overall assessment of the needs and desires for teaching activities will be required It may be appropriate to impose deadlines for submitting requests All course activity requests must include a reason why the course in question must be held in Ny-Aringlesund

SSF allocates funding for fieldwork in Svalbard in which the main priority is to support MSc students PhD students and researchers not currently established in Svalbard This grant-ing programme recruits the new generation of young scientist and facilitates the opportunity to conduct fieldwork in Svalbard (Box 4)

Action points

gt Recruitment in polar research by promoting involvement of MSc and PhD students in research projects should be encouraged

gt RCN will continue to support field activity for MSc students and PhD students through Arctic Field Grants

gt Develop procedures for facilitating course activities at MSc and PhD levels

43 Education There is a need for recruitment in polar research both in Norway and internationally Ny-Aringlesund is a unique learning site with access to infrastructure field locations and an important international research environment Ny-Aringlesund should contribute to the recruitment of a new generation of polar researchers by hosting masters students and doctoral fellowship-holders in connection with research projects

Courses are welcome in Ny-Aringlesund as long as the following criteria are met

gt They are targeted for MSc andor PhD (or similar level) education

gt The courses will use research infrastructure or unique field opportunities available on-site

gt They are within natural science disciplines

gt There is capacity at the station

gt Sufficient consideration to the cultural-historical attributes and natural environment are taken into account

Box 4Arctic Field Grant (AFG)

The Arctic Field Grant (AFG) has been awarded to more than 1600 researchers master and PhD students since 1953 The grant has been managed by the RCN since 2011 and has since that time allocated 22 million NOK to 435 projects including 148 PhD and 225 MSc students

Some facts about AFG gt 3 of 10 recipients are now pursuing a career in polar science because of AFG

gt 4 of 10 projects were conducted in Ny-Aringlesund

gt 5 of 10 projects resulted in a peer reviewed paper

gt 6 of 10 applications were successful

gt 8 of 10 recipients are MSc or PhD students

gt 9 of 10 former recipients and supervisors said AFG helps with recruitment of young scientists into polar research

Phot

o S

teve

Cou

lson

U

NIS

2322

5 Sustainable research production

The present scope of research activity in Ny-Aringlesund makes it necessary to strengthen the interaction cooperation and coordination of research activities to ensure sustainability Sustainable research production stimulates new innovative ideas and gives the opportunity to do basic research Further sustainable research refers to activity that has low environmental impact promotes effectiveness through optimal use of data avoids extensive overlap and makes the best possible use of the arearsquos distinctive character

51 Coordination of research activity Various forums for logistical and practical research coordina-tion in Ny-Aringlesund have been established The area has exten-sive research infrastructure and a long tradition of research cooperation NPI will facilitate day-to-day coordination of activity through a weekly meeting with representatives from all key actors present in Ny-Aringlesund

NySMAC contributes to coordination of the research activities in Ny-Aringlesund The committee has an essential role in developing cooperation between the institutions present in Ny-Aringlesund It also acts as an advisory body regarding cooper-ation and priorities to the research actors with ongoing or planned projects in the area

Kings Bay AS serves as the provider of research logistics and it develops and maintains research infrastructure for common use

The member-based consortium SIOS has a significant role regarding instrumentation and infrastructure in Ny-Aringlesund SIOS has a coordinating role in the optimization of observa-tion of earth system science from research infrastructure located in Ny-Aringlesund

SSF acts as a coordinating body for all research activity on Svalbard and will continue to contribute to and stimulate enhanced cooperation and collaboration between the four research communities Longyearbyen Ny-Aringlesund Barentsburg and Hornsund

Close cooperation between all the above-mentioned bodies is essential for the further development of the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

52 International cooperation The unique international community present in Ny-Aringlesund has a history of extensive cooperation which has been essen-tial to enhance quality in polar research There is however potential for further utilization of the extensive infrastructure that is established in Svalbard International cooperation and exchange are a prerequisite for maintaining a creative innova-tive and world-class scientific environment in Ny-Aringlesund

Promotion of cooperation between the research communities in Ny-Aringlesund Longyearbyen Hornsund and Barentsburg as well as between Svalbard and other research communities around the world is of great importance to enhance know- ledge on global issues

Phot

o M

aria

nn

e Jo

han

sen

R

CN

2524

53 Sharing and development of research infrastructure

Coordination of infrastructure and logistical services is key to better utilisation of research infrastructure In Ny-Aringlesund the area available for new buildings is limited It is therefore

crucial that existing buildings are used efficiently The need of efficient use of existing buildings has resulted in joint services provided at the Marine Laboratory Zeppelin Observatory Climate Change Tower Gruvebadet Vaskeri Lab MS Teisten Light Sensitive Cabin and the newly established Terrestrial Laboratory (see Box 5)

SSF stimulates cooperation and collaborative efforts between all research communities in Svalbard and within all research disciplines SSF facilitates the RiS-portal (Box 2) for sharing information regarding research projects being conducted any-where in Svalbard including the four permanently manned research communities in Svalbard (Ny-Aringlesund Longyearbyen Barentsburg and Hornsund) The RiS-portal is a unique tool for information exchange and for enhancing cooperation and coordination

SSF administers the Svalbard Strategic Grant (SSG) pro-gramme This is a seed money program aimed at advancing coordination collaboration and data sharing between researchers working with Svalbard research as well as increas-ing cooperation and coordination between the four research communities in Svalbard

A Svalbard Science Conference ndash with the goal of stimulating and inspiring cooperation in and advancement of the research conducted in Svalbard was held for the first time in 2017 This conference gathered scientists experts and relevant key players needed to put Svalbard research in a global context The success of this first meeting has resulted in a plan to have this conference continue on a biennial basis This international conference strives to increase connectivity broadening the research network and bringing Svalbard research into a pan-Arctic setting

Action points

gt RCN in cooperation with SSF will continue and further develop SSG and RiS to support cooperation and coordination of research in Svalbard

gt RCN and SSF will establish the Svalbard Science Conference in cooperation with NPI and other relevant partners as an important arena for cooperation and dissemination of research in Svalbard

Box 5Shared infrastructure The Marine Laboratory is an experimental laboratory for research in marine ecology physiology and biochemistry as well as oceanography marine geology and ice physics The Marine Lab is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS and booking is done through the RiS-portal

The Zeppelin Observatory is an observatory for atmospheric research and monitoring The Observatory is part of a network of very important global observatories for atmospheric measurements and part of several regional and global monitoring networks The observatory is located at the mountain Zeppelinfjellet 475 masl The Zeppelin Observatory is owned and managed by the Norwegian Polar Institute

The Climate Change Tower (CCT) with a height of 32 m hosts many instruments mainly to investigate energy budgets in the Earth surface layer boundary layer dynamics and exchange fluxes at the atmospherendashland interface CCT is owned and managed by the CNR

Gruvebadet is an atmospheric laboratory and observatory located 1 km from the centre of Ny-Aringlesund The building currently hosts instrument for atmosphere and aerosol measurements Gruvebadet is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS

The Vaskeri Lab is an older building that consists of several rooms some of which can be used for common labs fex for environmental or terrestrial laboratory work and is perfect for work with soil sediments animal sampling etc Vaskeri Lab is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS

MS Teisten is a small work boat 31 feet long and equipped to do smaller scientific operations and surveys in Kongsfjorden and Krossfjorden MS Teisten is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS and booking can be done through RiS

The Terrestrial Laboratory (Veksthuset) is located in the middle of town and includes brand new dry and semi-wet lab facilities The labs are expected to be ready for use from summer 2019 The lab is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS

The Light Sensitive Cabin is located 25 km from the centre of Ny-Aringlesund and is specially designed to host instruments that require minimal light contamination The cabin has four domes on the roof is connected to high-speed internet and is insulated The light sensitive cabin is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS

In addition there are some smaller observatoriesplatforms run by various institutions located at the various buildings in Ny-Aringlesund that host instruments for long-term monitoring Several of these are available for other users by request to the owner

Terrestrial Laboratory Photo Susanne Wasa Hagen Kings Bay AS

2726

55 Making information available Making information available to others is essential to estab-lish communication among on-going projects and initiatives The RiS-portal is the important tool to register projects and to find information about activities in Ny-Aringlesund

The flagship programmes have created meeting places for the largest disciplines in Ny-Aringlesund that are important for network building and increasing collaboration

NySMAC has established an internal Project Information and Discussion (PID) forum to share information regarding planned activities These collaborative tools are used by NySMAC in between the semi-annual meetings

To improve dissemination of information relevant to all researchers planning or engaged in activities in Ny-Aringlesund NPI and Kings Bay AS will develop a dedicated and comprehensive web site for Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

Researchers and institutes are expected to

gt register Svalbard-based research projects in RiS and keep the information updated

gt become familiar with other relevant activities by using RiS

Action points

gt SSF will further develop RiS and continue their efforts to ensure that RiS is used by researchers as an attractive portal for information regarding research and opportunities for thematic collaboration and logistics cooperation in Svalbard

gt Development of a dedicated and comprehensive web site for Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

Developing shared thematic laboratories will improve the utilisation of the buildings in Ny-Aringlesund Being an attractive provider of research infrastructure requires effective profes-sional operations efficient utilisation and a realistic cost level For this approach to succeed it is important to develop the existing buildings in accordance with research needs and to facilitate professional joint services that researchers find attractive Ny-Aringlesunds scientific community should take part in the decisions regarding development of new joint services to ensure that they match research needs Norwayrsquos long-term ambition is to further develop thematically-based research infrastructure in Ny-Aringlesund

SIOS is an important tool for sharing and collaborating in the utilisation of Svalbardrsquos infrastructure Scientists conducting earth system research in Ny-Aringlesund are encouraged to become members of SIOS SIOS offers opportunities to access the memberrsquos infrastructure and data through regular strategic calls Access will be based on scientific excellence Applica-tions for access should be made through SIOS decisions will be made in collaboration with the member responsible for the specific infrastructure Research infrastructure includes physical spaces such as laboratories as well as scientific instruments samples data and e-infrastructure

The actors are encouraged to

gt coordinate their activities in Ny-Aringlesund with those of other institutions to optimize research infrastructure utilisation

gt make infrastructure available to others

gt become members of SIOS

gt collaborate and coordinate use of logistics services

Action points

gt Draw up a ldquogap- analysisrdquo for the development of new infrastructure

gt Create a cost-efficiency model for Ny-Aringlesund that includes development of joint research infrastructure

54 Radio silence Ny-Aringlesund is a radio silent area with the long-term goal to further minimize the emissions of electromagnetic (radio wave) pollution Some important sensing-instruments like the VLBI radio telescopes at Norways geodetic laboratory need radio silence to function optimally The General authorisations regulations in Norway (fribruksforskriften) which allows use without permit for common equipment is not valid for the frequencies 2 GHzndash32 GHz within a 20 km radius from Ny-Aringlesund Technology using the 2 GHzndash32 GHz frequency range requires application to the National Communications Authority (Nkom)

Upholding a pristine environment also includes avoiding electro- magnetic pollution Ny-Aringlesund is a unique location world-wide in having radio silence while also providing the infra-structure and logistical support necessary for large-scale research installations Consequently maintaining radio silence is a key priority and efforts to develop the infrastructure to conduct necessary measurements outside the protected frequency band should be intensified For research that requires use of the radio frequency range in question and that cannot be conducted elsewhere in Svalbard it is neces-sary to have overview of frequencies in use in Ny-Aringlesund The radio silence working group established under NySMAC is important in this context

Action points

gt All actors have to contribute to maintain radio silence and prioritise research that does not interfere with the radio silence

gt Develop good procedures and priorities for the use of technology with active transmitters

Norwegian Mapping Authoritys new geodetic observatory Photo Helge Tore Markussen NPI

2928

6 Open access to data

7 Report No 30 (2008ndash2009) to the Storting a white paper on research policy Meld St 18 (2012ndash2013) the white paper Long-term perspectives ndash knowledge provides opportunity Meld St 27 (2015ndash2016) a white paper on Norwayrsquos digital agenda the Ministry of Education and Researchrsquos National strategy on access to and sharing of research data (2017) the EU Commissionrsquos decision to make open data access the norm in the Horizon 2020 programme its ldquoGuidelines on FAIR Data Management in Horizon 2020rdquo its publication ldquoOpen Innovation Open Science Open to the world ndash a vision for Europerdquo and the European Research Area and Innovation Committeersquos Opinion on Open Research Data etc

8 Ministry of Education and Researchrsquos National strategy on access to and sharing of research data (2017) 9 httpswwwforce11orggroupfairgroupfairprinciples10 SIOS Data Policy

Open access to data makes it easier to validate and assess findings as well as to use data in new ways Combining data facilitates more interdisciplinary research Open access to research data reduces duplication of effort increases efficiency and reduces environmental impacts Broader access to research data will strengthen the quality of research in Svalbard

Norwegian and international research policies7 emphasises that research data should be made openly accessible when no legitimate considerations prevent its accessibility or ldquoas open as possible as closed as necessaryrdquo8 This point is made in the Strategy for research and higher education in Svalbard in which the following Norwegian Government objective is expressed ldquoResearch communities active in Svalbard shall take the lead in moving towards shared research data and infrastructurerdquo

Strong metadata ie information about collection delinea-tion definition and other factors relevant for further use is a prerequisite for being able to find and interpret data It is therefore important that data producers are meticulous about standardising the methods and sharing metadata in a way that make data easier to use ideally in line with the FAIR- principles9 FAIR stands for findable accessible interoperable and reusable The concept interoperable entails that both data and metadata must be machine-readable and that a consist-ent terminology is used

The SIOS consortium has developed a data policy that is con-sistent with international principles including requirements for the availability and quality of metadata10 The members of SIOS which includes research conducted in Ny-Aringlesund and Svalbard will be obliged to comply with these principles Standardised metadata requirements should be established for all research in Ny-Aringlesund

Phot

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eacute B

arka

Mar

tin

s

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2 Background

1 Measured in researcher days Source NIFU report 201537

21 Development of research activities in Ny-Aringlesund

Today Ny-Aringlesund is a unique station for Arctic research and monitoring of environmental change It has easy access and a well-established research infrastructure From 1916 until 1962 Ny-Aringlesund was primarily a coal-mining town but research activity also had a presence in the towns early days For example it served as the departure point for several large-scale polar expeditions After the mining accident in 1962 the coal mining activity was terminated by Parliamentary decree and research became the main activity in the area Due to the history of Ny-Aringlesund most of its buildings are protected as cultural heritage These buildings constitute the largest collection of protected buildings in Svalbard The Kings Bay Company owns the land and most of the buildings in Ny-Aringlesund and has provided services for research activity in the area for decades

International research activity is extensive in Ny-Aringlesund More than 20 research institutions have long-term research and monitoring activities that operate out of Ny-Aringlesund According to studies done by the Nordic Institute for Studies in Innovation Research and Education (NIFU) the research activity1 in Ny-Aringlesund currently accounts for about 25 percent of the research activity in the Svalbard Archipelago

The presence of researchers from many different institutions offers unique opportunities for collaboration Such diversity also heightens the need for coordination Since 1994 the Ny-Aringlesund Science Managers Committee (NySMAC) has functioned as an important venue for coordination and cooperation among the research institutions in Ny-Aringlesund

Ny-Aringlesund monitoring activities play an important role in a variety of national and international monitoring programmes The research station is uniquely located for observing climate change effects and for undertaking research on how these changes influence both physical environments and resident plants and animals both regionally and globally Ny-Aringlesund is an important location for several national and global monitoring programmes that contribute data to important international agreements and conventions

Norway has made extensive investments in research infrastructure in Ny-Aringlesund both to stimulate research activities and to provide general infrastructure housing and logistics for the benefit of the international research community This includes the installation of a fibre-optic cable from Longyearbyen the establishment of the Norwegian Mapping Authorityrsquos new geodetic observatory (in 2018) and the completion of a new research building focussed on terrestrial ecology (in 2019) in recent years The sum of investments makes Ny-Aringlesund an outstanding site for Arctic research

The combination of Norwegian investments and support in setting up specialised research buildings and laboratories and the national and international institutional investments in research and advanced scientific equipment for monitoring and field work in Ny-Aringlesund have been key factors for success in establishing the worldrsquos most advanced and internationally oriented Arctic research station The interest and high-quality research contributions from the large number of international research institutions present in Ny-Aringlesund have been paramount for this development

Phot

o E

irik

Hel

lan

d U

rke

98

The Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI) is a directorate organized under the Ministry for Climate and Environment NPI will perform Norways host role in Ny-Aringlesund and is responsible for the implementation and daily follow-up of the research strategy locally NPI is thus the point of contact in Ny-Aringlesund for scientific research and associated activities such as questions regarding the planning of official visits NPI also has the over-riding responsibility to follow up the action points in this strategy unless otherwise stated Action points will be followed up in close cooperation with relevant actors with activity in Ny-Aringlesund

The research strategy for Ny-Aringlesund aims to strengthen scientific development and improve coordination Development and implementation of procedures for prioritising and allocating use of existing buildings and laboratories and further developing Ny-Aringlesundrsquos infrastructure buildings and services is important The strategy clearly defines Norwayrsquos expectations regarding quality cooperation openness data-sharing and results

4 The term Ny-Aringlesund Research Station covers all research activity based in Ny-Aringlesund and the Kongsfjorden area

The Research Council of Norway (RCN) was commissioned by the Norwegian Government through the White paper on Svalbard4 to develop the research strategy for Ny-Aringlesund Input from the scientific community and other relevant stakeholders has been crucial in finalising it They have given important insight in the well-established and excellent international cooperation on-site and shared their views and future priorities and plans

Regular dialogue will be established between the RCN NPI Kings Bay AS and relevant ministries to ensure that the strategy is appropriately followed up This includes making necessary decisions related to progress

RCN will periodically evaluate the status of the research and implementation of the strategy The strategy will be revised when necessary

22 Framework for the strategy Norwegian authorities have high ambitions for research in Svalbard2 A key ambition is to develop Ny-Aringlesund as a Norwegian platform for high quality international research higher education and environmental monitoring with global significance An important basis for this is a research strategy that emphasises how the unique research opportunities in Ny-Aringlesund can be more efficiently used through increased coordination of resource use and how clearer priorities and enhanced quality of the research can be achieved within the context of the international research community present in Ny-Aringlesund

The Government of Norway issued its Strategy for research and higher education in Svalbard in May 2018 that establishes the guidelines and principles for the research activities in Svalbard This strategy together with the Governmentrsquos White paper on Svalbard provide the overall framework for the research strategy for the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station3

2 Meld St 32 (2015ndash2016) white paper on Svalbard3 The term Ny-Aringlesund Research Station covers all research activity based in Ny-Aringlesund and the Kongsfjorden area

Important elements that apply to Ny-Aringlesund Research Station are in particular

gt Research is to exploit the arearsquos distinctive character as a clean natural science laboratory

gt The environment must remain as pristine as possible during all future development

gt Research is the prioritized activity in Ny-Aringlesund Other activities in and around Ny-Aringlesund must adapt to limit possible impact on the research activity

gt Ny-Aringlesund is a radio silent area because of important instruments that can be affected by radio emitting devices

gt Development will be towards a more thematically-based structure and shared-use of infrastructures to ensure optimal use

Phot

o Oacute

lafu

r In

goacutelf

sson

U

NIS

1110

3 Key institutions and forums for Ny-Aringlesund research

All research actors in Ny-Aringlesund have a responsibility to coordinate their activities with the other institutions on site This chapter describes the institutions with special responsibilities for coordination and operations as well as important forums for cooperation

Norwegian Polar Institute The Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI) is a directorate under the Ministry of Climate and Environment As a directorate it performs Norways host role in Ny-Aringlesund and is responsible for implementation and follow-up of the strategy locally NPI is the point of contact for scientific research and associated activities and has the overall on-site responsibility for ensuring coordination Accordingly NPI holds weekly meetings attended by representatives of other organisations working at the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

NPI is also Norwayrsquos central institute for environmental monitoring mapping and scientific research in the Polar Regions NPI has had a year-round presence in Ny-Aringlesund since 1968

Kings Bay AS Kings Bay AS is a limited company entirely owned by the Ministry of Climate and Environment Kings Bay AS owns the land that comprises the Broslashggerhalvoslashya Peninsula and Ny-Aringlesund As owner the company is responsible for the safety in the area and for the land-use plan The purpose of Kings Bay AS is to operate maintain and develop research infrastructure in Ny-Aringlesund and provide other necessary facilities and services Kings Bay AS serves as the point of contact to the Governor of Svalbard regarding safety matters is in charge of port and airport operations and provides board lodging and other logistics in Ny-Aringlesund The company offers services and facilitates the use of research infrastructure as well as having the responsibility for safeguarding cultural heritage sites on their property

Ny-Aringlesund Science Managers Committe The cooperative forum Ny-Aringlesund Science Managers Committee (NySMAC) was established in 1994 by the researchers in Ny-Aringlesund to enhance cooperation and coordination NySMAC contributes to the development of Ny-Aringlesund as an outstanding site for Arctic research through advancing cooperation between scientists and research projects and assisting in effective and sustainable utilization of Ny-Aringlesund as a research site As a major initiative to promote international collaboration NySMAC created the four flagship programmes (see chapter 41)

Any scientific institution that runs a long-term programme based in Ny-Aringlesund andor has significant research activities in Ny-Aringlesund is eligible to join NySMAC as a member New members are accepted following a consensus decision by NySMAC There are currently 18 member-institutions and four observers (see Box 1) NySMAC has a Chair and Co-chair these roles circulate among the member institutions The Chair and Co-chair are appointed for two years and each representative can serve for a maximum of two periods NPI serves as the forums Secretariat The committee plays an important role in coordinating research and infrastructure and sharing of information NySMAC serves as an adviser and collaborator regarding the development of research activity at the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

Phot

o K

arol

ine

Baelig

lum

S

SF

1312

SSF administers two funding schemes on behalf of RCN ndash the Svalbard Strategic Grant programme and the Arctic Field Grant programme (see also Box 4) The aim of these grants is to promote SSF priorities The funding is essential for maintaining and developing strategic research priorities for instance the Ny-Aringlesund flagship programmes The Arctic Field Grant is very important for recruitment It facilitates access to field work in Svalbard including Ny-Aringlesund for young scientists The SSF Secretariat is also responsible for operating and developing the unique coordination tool ndash the RiS-portal (see Box 2)

Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System

Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System (SIOS) addresses Earth System Science questions and is a Norwegian-initiated international large-scale research infrastructure programme that aims to establish a broadly distributed regional observing system for long-term measurements in and around the Svalbard Archipelago SIOS integrates existing observational infrastructure and generates added value for their members beyond what their individual capacities can provide The observing system strives to provide members with systematic high-quality observations in a cost-efficient and environmentally friendly manner

The consortium brings long-term measurements together into a coherent and integrated observational programme Within the member-based consortium of SIOS researchers can cooperate to access instruments acquire data and address questions that would not be practical or cost effective for a single institution or nation alone The knowledge centre the central hub of SIOS is located in the Svalbard Science Center in Longyearbyen and offers coordinated services for the research community A significant part of the instrumentation and infrastructure included in SIOS is physically located in Ny-Aringlesund SIOS is an observer in NySMAC

Institutions with national coordinating responsibilities

Several institutions with long-term research and monitoring activities in Ny-Aringlesund have national responsibilities as coordinators of their national activities at the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station These institutions are assessing and approving projects prior to registration in the Research in Svalbard (RiS) portal (see Box 2) They are expected to ensure that projects from their country comply with this research strategy minimize project overlap and ensure that projects are of high international calibre and that environmental concerns are addressed In cases of doubt the institution involved is encouraged to discuss with NySMAC prior to registration in the RiS-portal

NPI has the overall responsibility to ensure that all activities at the station are in line with this strategy and has the final authority to approve access

Svalbard Science Forum The Svalbard Science Forum (SSF) was established in 1998 to increase cooperation and coordination within Svalbard research SSF promotes open sharing of data and reduction of the environmental impact of research activities in the archipelago All research communities Longyearbyen Ny-Aringlesund Barentsburg and Hornsund are represented in SSF NySMAC represents the Ny-Aringlesund research community in the Forum The Research Council of Norway (RCN) serves as Chair of the SSF and is responsible for administering the permanent secretariat in Longyearbyen

Box 1NySMAC members and observers by April 2019

Members gt Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) Germany gt Andoslashya Space Center (ASC) Norway gt Chinese Arctic and Antarctic Administration (CAA) China gt Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) Italy gt GFZ German Research Centre for Geoscience (GFZ) Germany gt Institut Polaire Francais Paul Emile Victor (IPEV) France gt Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI) South Korea gt National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) India

gt National Institute of Polar Research (NIPR) Japan gt Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) UK gt Northern Research Institute Tromsoslash (NORUT) Norway gt Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU) Norway gt Norwegian Mapping Authority (NMA) Norway gt Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI) Norway gt Stockholm University (SU) Sweden gt The University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS) Norway gt University of Groningen (UoG) The Netherlands gt University of Tromsoslash (UiT) Norway

Observers gt Kings Bay AS (KB) Norway gt The Research Council of Norway (RCN) Norway gt Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System (SIOS) gt Svalbard Science Forum (SSF) Norway

Box 2Research in Svalbard (RiS) Portal The Research in Svalbard (RiS) Portal is the essential tool for researchers the Governor of Svalbard Kings Bay AS SSF NPI and others when it comes to information about research in Svalbard The portal facilitates finding new partners for collaboration and for coordinating fieldwork and logistics Hence RiS is a tool for thematic cooperation and logistics coordination for those carrying out research fieldwork and monitoring in Svalbard By using this open-access portal users gain information about projects and the participating researchers and institutions RiS also offers an overview of the fieldwork activity and of publications and metadata It is mandatory to register all research projects with activity in Ny-Aringlesund in RiS In addition RiS is a one-step portal and contains Kings Bay ASs booking module for ordering services in Ny-Aringlesund (travel lodging and use of infrastructure) as well as the Governors module for permit applications and reporting The portal is operated by the SSF Secretariat and is owned by the RCN To ensure that this portal remains an essential tool for research coordination overview and information the portal will be developed further

1514

4 World-class science

Well-developed research infrastructure an international research environment and extensive international research activity provides a unique environment for cooperation in Ny-Aringlesund The Research Station further provides a very comprehensive observing system for multidisciplinary research This combined with extraordinary accessibility and location enables the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station to be an important supplier of globally significant science

41 Scientific priority areas Research and monitoring activities in Ny-Aringlesund are to be within the natural sciences and should use the unique infra-structure and field possibilities that the area offers The area around Ny-Aringlesund is a limited resource and several research and monitoring activities are dependent on pristine condi-tions The historic environment is unique and an important cultural heritage site on Svalbard Cultural heritage research in Svalbard is therefore welcome in Ny-Aringlesund

Research in Ny-Aringlesund comprises the activities of various institutional national and international programmes Substantial portions of these activities are related and complementary To release its full potential four flagship programmes were established in the period 2009-2011 which in combination constitute most of the research and monitoring in Ny-Aringlesund The established flagship programmes are atmospheric research terrestrial ecosystems the Kongsfjorden system and glaciology research (see Box 3 for more information)

Zeppelin Observatory Photo Ove Hermansen NILU

Box 3Flagship programmes

The combination of a northern location a coastal setting a heterogenous landscape and relatively easy access has provided a unique environment for long-term research and time-series observations and makes Ny-Aringlesund a key location for research and environmental monitoring in the High Arctic

The research and monitoring activity in Ny-Aringlesund is organized in four broad and dynamic flagship programmes with extensive cross-disciplinary and cross-flagship collaboration The flagship programmes have regular meetings and are open to all scientists who are either actively engaged in studies in the area or who wish to develop new insights based on monitoring and research in the area

Further the flagship programmes function as arenas for contact coordination and cooperation in science

The Atmosphere Flagship focuses on measurements from the surface up to the upper atmosphere utilizing a wide array of different techniques and instruments The Kongsfjorden system ndash a high Arctic marine environment which is often influenced by influx of warmer Atlantic waters and thus highly sensitive to climate change in the Arctic ndash is the main scope of The Kongsfjorden system Flagship The Terrestrial Ecology Flagship brings together all studies on plant animals soil permafrost and lakes and coordinates field manipulations and study sites The Glaciology Flagship studies the cryosphere around Ny-Aringlesund especially fast-flowing surge type polythermal and calving glaciers

1716

42 Research quality High-quality research is conducted in Ny-Aringlesund and there is potential to increase the impact of this research even further Studies done by NIFU6 shows that Svalbard articles have been less cited than polar research generally (10-20 percent) NIFU reports have shown that publications with international col-laboration were cited more than the rest Citation rates vary somewhat by discipline but it appears that Svalbard articles including Ny-Aringlesund-based research are published in journals with lower citation rates than the journals most used to publish polar research in general Citation rates do not capture all aspects of quality however the NIFU findings suggest potential for improvement

The results of NIFUs studies suggest that measures to increase international cooperation and improve coordination of research in Svalbard may result in higher quality research outputs Research carried out in Ny-Aringlesund should strive to be placed in a pan-Arctic or global context and research results should be published in high-impact peer-reviewed journals It is important to exploit the diversity of Ny-Aringlesunds research communities further To improve dissemination of research activity the Research Station should produce a common annual report

The research institutions present in Ny-Aringlesund are expected to have high research ambitions and pursue international cooperation when this is beneficial To optimally exploit the unique research opportunities and develop the Research Station into an even better platform for high-quality research and long-term monitoring researchers are expected to take responsibility to encourage that

gt research projects are quality-assured prior to start-up and then maintain high professional standards

gt researchers collaborate with the best international partners in Ny-Aringlesund and elsewhere to enhance scientific quality

6 The term Ny-Aringlesund Research Station covers all research activity based in Ny-Aringlesund and the Kongsfjorden area

gt results are published in English in open internationally peer-reviewed journals

gt research is placed whenever possible in a wide context at the pan-Arctic or global level

Action point

gt the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station should present its ongoing scientific contributions in an annual report highlighting research results including a list of publications contribution to international networks and important research campaigns

The flagship programmes are networks that bring together scientists working in Ny-Aringlesund to enhance holistic approaches through long-term observations process under-standing and modelling The flagship programmes are led by a scientific committee with a Chair and a Co-chair Scientists contributing to the flagships are expected to further develop the science and work together to identify areas where addi-tional effort is needed They are also expected to take advan-tage of opportunities for synergies arising from the diversity of the international community and its many research dis- ciplines including cross-flagship activity

Ny-Aringlesund is a central reference station with important long-term climate and environment data series NySMAC and SSF have highlighted the potential and opportunities to develop an integrated monitoring programme for Ny-Aringlesund this should be developed further Key elements of this programme would be data accessibility and the use of data in research

Conditions for research in Ny-Aringlesund

gt Research is to be within the natural sciences5

gt Research is to make use of the arearsquos distinctive characteristics In general research that can significantly benefit from being done in Ny-Aringlesund should be prioritized

gt Research is to take environmental concerns into account and be within the Land-use plan and the Svalbard Environmental Protection Act

5 Exception for Culture heritage research

The actors are encouraged to

gt make sure that interference and overlap with other activities is avoided whenever possible

gt become familiar with and participate in the thematic flagship programmes

gt maintain long-time series and share data

gt ensure that all new projects identify themselves by registering their projects in the RiS-portal

gt discuss activities in NySMAC

Action points

gt Integrated monitoring programmes should be developed as a cooperation between institutions with monitoring activities

gt Research and research infrastructure priorities should be discussed in the flagship programmes and gap-analysis should be considered

gt Further development of the flagship programmes should be secured

Karin Springer University of Bremen Photo Kings Bay AS

1918

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eir W

ing

Gab

riel

sen

N

PI

2120

Courses should not be a dominant activity in Ny-Aringlesund UNIS is a unique centre for university-level study and research in Svalbard Ny-Aringlesund is an important location for some of their course activities and courses based at the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS) will be given priority in Ny-Aringlesund

In order to have a good overview and secure coordination and transparency an overall assessment of the needs and desires for teaching activities will be required It may be appropriate to impose deadlines for submitting requests All course activity requests must include a reason why the course in question must be held in Ny-Aringlesund

SSF allocates funding for fieldwork in Svalbard in which the main priority is to support MSc students PhD students and researchers not currently established in Svalbard This grant-ing programme recruits the new generation of young scientist and facilitates the opportunity to conduct fieldwork in Svalbard (Box 4)

Action points

gt Recruitment in polar research by promoting involvement of MSc and PhD students in research projects should be encouraged

gt RCN will continue to support field activity for MSc students and PhD students through Arctic Field Grants

gt Develop procedures for facilitating course activities at MSc and PhD levels

43 Education There is a need for recruitment in polar research both in Norway and internationally Ny-Aringlesund is a unique learning site with access to infrastructure field locations and an important international research environment Ny-Aringlesund should contribute to the recruitment of a new generation of polar researchers by hosting masters students and doctoral fellowship-holders in connection with research projects

Courses are welcome in Ny-Aringlesund as long as the following criteria are met

gt They are targeted for MSc andor PhD (or similar level) education

gt The courses will use research infrastructure or unique field opportunities available on-site

gt They are within natural science disciplines

gt There is capacity at the station

gt Sufficient consideration to the cultural-historical attributes and natural environment are taken into account

Box 4Arctic Field Grant (AFG)

The Arctic Field Grant (AFG) has been awarded to more than 1600 researchers master and PhD students since 1953 The grant has been managed by the RCN since 2011 and has since that time allocated 22 million NOK to 435 projects including 148 PhD and 225 MSc students

Some facts about AFG gt 3 of 10 recipients are now pursuing a career in polar science because of AFG

gt 4 of 10 projects were conducted in Ny-Aringlesund

gt 5 of 10 projects resulted in a peer reviewed paper

gt 6 of 10 applications were successful

gt 8 of 10 recipients are MSc or PhD students

gt 9 of 10 former recipients and supervisors said AFG helps with recruitment of young scientists into polar research

Phot

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teve

Cou

lson

U

NIS

2322

5 Sustainable research production

The present scope of research activity in Ny-Aringlesund makes it necessary to strengthen the interaction cooperation and coordination of research activities to ensure sustainability Sustainable research production stimulates new innovative ideas and gives the opportunity to do basic research Further sustainable research refers to activity that has low environmental impact promotes effectiveness through optimal use of data avoids extensive overlap and makes the best possible use of the arearsquos distinctive character

51 Coordination of research activity Various forums for logistical and practical research coordina-tion in Ny-Aringlesund have been established The area has exten-sive research infrastructure and a long tradition of research cooperation NPI will facilitate day-to-day coordination of activity through a weekly meeting with representatives from all key actors present in Ny-Aringlesund

NySMAC contributes to coordination of the research activities in Ny-Aringlesund The committee has an essential role in developing cooperation between the institutions present in Ny-Aringlesund It also acts as an advisory body regarding cooper-ation and priorities to the research actors with ongoing or planned projects in the area

Kings Bay AS serves as the provider of research logistics and it develops and maintains research infrastructure for common use

The member-based consortium SIOS has a significant role regarding instrumentation and infrastructure in Ny-Aringlesund SIOS has a coordinating role in the optimization of observa-tion of earth system science from research infrastructure located in Ny-Aringlesund

SSF acts as a coordinating body for all research activity on Svalbard and will continue to contribute to and stimulate enhanced cooperation and collaboration between the four research communities Longyearbyen Ny-Aringlesund Barentsburg and Hornsund

Close cooperation between all the above-mentioned bodies is essential for the further development of the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

52 International cooperation The unique international community present in Ny-Aringlesund has a history of extensive cooperation which has been essen-tial to enhance quality in polar research There is however potential for further utilization of the extensive infrastructure that is established in Svalbard International cooperation and exchange are a prerequisite for maintaining a creative innova-tive and world-class scientific environment in Ny-Aringlesund

Promotion of cooperation between the research communities in Ny-Aringlesund Longyearbyen Hornsund and Barentsburg as well as between Svalbard and other research communities around the world is of great importance to enhance know- ledge on global issues

Phot

o M

aria

nn

e Jo

han

sen

R

CN

2524

53 Sharing and development of research infrastructure

Coordination of infrastructure and logistical services is key to better utilisation of research infrastructure In Ny-Aringlesund the area available for new buildings is limited It is therefore

crucial that existing buildings are used efficiently The need of efficient use of existing buildings has resulted in joint services provided at the Marine Laboratory Zeppelin Observatory Climate Change Tower Gruvebadet Vaskeri Lab MS Teisten Light Sensitive Cabin and the newly established Terrestrial Laboratory (see Box 5)

SSF stimulates cooperation and collaborative efforts between all research communities in Svalbard and within all research disciplines SSF facilitates the RiS-portal (Box 2) for sharing information regarding research projects being conducted any-where in Svalbard including the four permanently manned research communities in Svalbard (Ny-Aringlesund Longyearbyen Barentsburg and Hornsund) The RiS-portal is a unique tool for information exchange and for enhancing cooperation and coordination

SSF administers the Svalbard Strategic Grant (SSG) pro-gramme This is a seed money program aimed at advancing coordination collaboration and data sharing between researchers working with Svalbard research as well as increas-ing cooperation and coordination between the four research communities in Svalbard

A Svalbard Science Conference ndash with the goal of stimulating and inspiring cooperation in and advancement of the research conducted in Svalbard was held for the first time in 2017 This conference gathered scientists experts and relevant key players needed to put Svalbard research in a global context The success of this first meeting has resulted in a plan to have this conference continue on a biennial basis This international conference strives to increase connectivity broadening the research network and bringing Svalbard research into a pan-Arctic setting

Action points

gt RCN in cooperation with SSF will continue and further develop SSG and RiS to support cooperation and coordination of research in Svalbard

gt RCN and SSF will establish the Svalbard Science Conference in cooperation with NPI and other relevant partners as an important arena for cooperation and dissemination of research in Svalbard

Box 5Shared infrastructure The Marine Laboratory is an experimental laboratory for research in marine ecology physiology and biochemistry as well as oceanography marine geology and ice physics The Marine Lab is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS and booking is done through the RiS-portal

The Zeppelin Observatory is an observatory for atmospheric research and monitoring The Observatory is part of a network of very important global observatories for atmospheric measurements and part of several regional and global monitoring networks The observatory is located at the mountain Zeppelinfjellet 475 masl The Zeppelin Observatory is owned and managed by the Norwegian Polar Institute

The Climate Change Tower (CCT) with a height of 32 m hosts many instruments mainly to investigate energy budgets in the Earth surface layer boundary layer dynamics and exchange fluxes at the atmospherendashland interface CCT is owned and managed by the CNR

Gruvebadet is an atmospheric laboratory and observatory located 1 km from the centre of Ny-Aringlesund The building currently hosts instrument for atmosphere and aerosol measurements Gruvebadet is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS

The Vaskeri Lab is an older building that consists of several rooms some of which can be used for common labs fex for environmental or terrestrial laboratory work and is perfect for work with soil sediments animal sampling etc Vaskeri Lab is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS

MS Teisten is a small work boat 31 feet long and equipped to do smaller scientific operations and surveys in Kongsfjorden and Krossfjorden MS Teisten is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS and booking can be done through RiS

The Terrestrial Laboratory (Veksthuset) is located in the middle of town and includes brand new dry and semi-wet lab facilities The labs are expected to be ready for use from summer 2019 The lab is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS

The Light Sensitive Cabin is located 25 km from the centre of Ny-Aringlesund and is specially designed to host instruments that require minimal light contamination The cabin has four domes on the roof is connected to high-speed internet and is insulated The light sensitive cabin is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS

In addition there are some smaller observatoriesplatforms run by various institutions located at the various buildings in Ny-Aringlesund that host instruments for long-term monitoring Several of these are available for other users by request to the owner

Terrestrial Laboratory Photo Susanne Wasa Hagen Kings Bay AS

2726

55 Making information available Making information available to others is essential to estab-lish communication among on-going projects and initiatives The RiS-portal is the important tool to register projects and to find information about activities in Ny-Aringlesund

The flagship programmes have created meeting places for the largest disciplines in Ny-Aringlesund that are important for network building and increasing collaboration

NySMAC has established an internal Project Information and Discussion (PID) forum to share information regarding planned activities These collaborative tools are used by NySMAC in between the semi-annual meetings

To improve dissemination of information relevant to all researchers planning or engaged in activities in Ny-Aringlesund NPI and Kings Bay AS will develop a dedicated and comprehensive web site for Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

Researchers and institutes are expected to

gt register Svalbard-based research projects in RiS and keep the information updated

gt become familiar with other relevant activities by using RiS

Action points

gt SSF will further develop RiS and continue their efforts to ensure that RiS is used by researchers as an attractive portal for information regarding research and opportunities for thematic collaboration and logistics cooperation in Svalbard

gt Development of a dedicated and comprehensive web site for Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

Developing shared thematic laboratories will improve the utilisation of the buildings in Ny-Aringlesund Being an attractive provider of research infrastructure requires effective profes-sional operations efficient utilisation and a realistic cost level For this approach to succeed it is important to develop the existing buildings in accordance with research needs and to facilitate professional joint services that researchers find attractive Ny-Aringlesunds scientific community should take part in the decisions regarding development of new joint services to ensure that they match research needs Norwayrsquos long-term ambition is to further develop thematically-based research infrastructure in Ny-Aringlesund

SIOS is an important tool for sharing and collaborating in the utilisation of Svalbardrsquos infrastructure Scientists conducting earth system research in Ny-Aringlesund are encouraged to become members of SIOS SIOS offers opportunities to access the memberrsquos infrastructure and data through regular strategic calls Access will be based on scientific excellence Applica-tions for access should be made through SIOS decisions will be made in collaboration with the member responsible for the specific infrastructure Research infrastructure includes physical spaces such as laboratories as well as scientific instruments samples data and e-infrastructure

The actors are encouraged to

gt coordinate their activities in Ny-Aringlesund with those of other institutions to optimize research infrastructure utilisation

gt make infrastructure available to others

gt become members of SIOS

gt collaborate and coordinate use of logistics services

Action points

gt Draw up a ldquogap- analysisrdquo for the development of new infrastructure

gt Create a cost-efficiency model for Ny-Aringlesund that includes development of joint research infrastructure

54 Radio silence Ny-Aringlesund is a radio silent area with the long-term goal to further minimize the emissions of electromagnetic (radio wave) pollution Some important sensing-instruments like the VLBI radio telescopes at Norways geodetic laboratory need radio silence to function optimally The General authorisations regulations in Norway (fribruksforskriften) which allows use without permit for common equipment is not valid for the frequencies 2 GHzndash32 GHz within a 20 km radius from Ny-Aringlesund Technology using the 2 GHzndash32 GHz frequency range requires application to the National Communications Authority (Nkom)

Upholding a pristine environment also includes avoiding electro- magnetic pollution Ny-Aringlesund is a unique location world-wide in having radio silence while also providing the infra-structure and logistical support necessary for large-scale research installations Consequently maintaining radio silence is a key priority and efforts to develop the infrastructure to conduct necessary measurements outside the protected frequency band should be intensified For research that requires use of the radio frequency range in question and that cannot be conducted elsewhere in Svalbard it is neces-sary to have overview of frequencies in use in Ny-Aringlesund The radio silence working group established under NySMAC is important in this context

Action points

gt All actors have to contribute to maintain radio silence and prioritise research that does not interfere with the radio silence

gt Develop good procedures and priorities for the use of technology with active transmitters

Norwegian Mapping Authoritys new geodetic observatory Photo Helge Tore Markussen NPI

2928

6 Open access to data

7 Report No 30 (2008ndash2009) to the Storting a white paper on research policy Meld St 18 (2012ndash2013) the white paper Long-term perspectives ndash knowledge provides opportunity Meld St 27 (2015ndash2016) a white paper on Norwayrsquos digital agenda the Ministry of Education and Researchrsquos National strategy on access to and sharing of research data (2017) the EU Commissionrsquos decision to make open data access the norm in the Horizon 2020 programme its ldquoGuidelines on FAIR Data Management in Horizon 2020rdquo its publication ldquoOpen Innovation Open Science Open to the world ndash a vision for Europerdquo and the European Research Area and Innovation Committeersquos Opinion on Open Research Data etc

8 Ministry of Education and Researchrsquos National strategy on access to and sharing of research data (2017) 9 httpswwwforce11orggroupfairgroupfairprinciples10 SIOS Data Policy

Open access to data makes it easier to validate and assess findings as well as to use data in new ways Combining data facilitates more interdisciplinary research Open access to research data reduces duplication of effort increases efficiency and reduces environmental impacts Broader access to research data will strengthen the quality of research in Svalbard

Norwegian and international research policies7 emphasises that research data should be made openly accessible when no legitimate considerations prevent its accessibility or ldquoas open as possible as closed as necessaryrdquo8 This point is made in the Strategy for research and higher education in Svalbard in which the following Norwegian Government objective is expressed ldquoResearch communities active in Svalbard shall take the lead in moving towards shared research data and infrastructurerdquo

Strong metadata ie information about collection delinea-tion definition and other factors relevant for further use is a prerequisite for being able to find and interpret data It is therefore important that data producers are meticulous about standardising the methods and sharing metadata in a way that make data easier to use ideally in line with the FAIR- principles9 FAIR stands for findable accessible interoperable and reusable The concept interoperable entails that both data and metadata must be machine-readable and that a consist-ent terminology is used

The SIOS consortium has developed a data policy that is con-sistent with international principles including requirements for the availability and quality of metadata10 The members of SIOS which includes research conducted in Ny-Aringlesund and Svalbard will be obliged to comply with these principles Standardised metadata requirements should be established for all research in Ny-Aringlesund

Phot

o S

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eacute B

arka

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tin

s

3130

The Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI) is a directorate organized under the Ministry for Climate and Environment NPI will perform Norways host role in Ny-Aringlesund and is responsible for the implementation and daily follow-up of the research strategy locally NPI is thus the point of contact in Ny-Aringlesund for scientific research and associated activities such as questions regarding the planning of official visits NPI also has the over-riding responsibility to follow up the action points in this strategy unless otherwise stated Action points will be followed up in close cooperation with relevant actors with activity in Ny-Aringlesund

The research strategy for Ny-Aringlesund aims to strengthen scientific development and improve coordination Development and implementation of procedures for prioritising and allocating use of existing buildings and laboratories and further developing Ny-Aringlesundrsquos infrastructure buildings and services is important The strategy clearly defines Norwayrsquos expectations regarding quality cooperation openness data-sharing and results

4 The term Ny-Aringlesund Research Station covers all research activity based in Ny-Aringlesund and the Kongsfjorden area

The Research Council of Norway (RCN) was commissioned by the Norwegian Government through the White paper on Svalbard4 to develop the research strategy for Ny-Aringlesund Input from the scientific community and other relevant stakeholders has been crucial in finalising it They have given important insight in the well-established and excellent international cooperation on-site and shared their views and future priorities and plans

Regular dialogue will be established between the RCN NPI Kings Bay AS and relevant ministries to ensure that the strategy is appropriately followed up This includes making necessary decisions related to progress

RCN will periodically evaluate the status of the research and implementation of the strategy The strategy will be revised when necessary

22 Framework for the strategy Norwegian authorities have high ambitions for research in Svalbard2 A key ambition is to develop Ny-Aringlesund as a Norwegian platform for high quality international research higher education and environmental monitoring with global significance An important basis for this is a research strategy that emphasises how the unique research opportunities in Ny-Aringlesund can be more efficiently used through increased coordination of resource use and how clearer priorities and enhanced quality of the research can be achieved within the context of the international research community present in Ny-Aringlesund

The Government of Norway issued its Strategy for research and higher education in Svalbard in May 2018 that establishes the guidelines and principles for the research activities in Svalbard This strategy together with the Governmentrsquos White paper on Svalbard provide the overall framework for the research strategy for the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station3

2 Meld St 32 (2015ndash2016) white paper on Svalbard3 The term Ny-Aringlesund Research Station covers all research activity based in Ny-Aringlesund and the Kongsfjorden area

Important elements that apply to Ny-Aringlesund Research Station are in particular

gt Research is to exploit the arearsquos distinctive character as a clean natural science laboratory

gt The environment must remain as pristine as possible during all future development

gt Research is the prioritized activity in Ny-Aringlesund Other activities in and around Ny-Aringlesund must adapt to limit possible impact on the research activity

gt Ny-Aringlesund is a radio silent area because of important instruments that can be affected by radio emitting devices

gt Development will be towards a more thematically-based structure and shared-use of infrastructures to ensure optimal use

Phot

o Oacute

lafu

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NIS

1110

3 Key institutions and forums for Ny-Aringlesund research

All research actors in Ny-Aringlesund have a responsibility to coordinate their activities with the other institutions on site This chapter describes the institutions with special responsibilities for coordination and operations as well as important forums for cooperation

Norwegian Polar Institute The Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI) is a directorate under the Ministry of Climate and Environment As a directorate it performs Norways host role in Ny-Aringlesund and is responsible for implementation and follow-up of the strategy locally NPI is the point of contact for scientific research and associated activities and has the overall on-site responsibility for ensuring coordination Accordingly NPI holds weekly meetings attended by representatives of other organisations working at the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

NPI is also Norwayrsquos central institute for environmental monitoring mapping and scientific research in the Polar Regions NPI has had a year-round presence in Ny-Aringlesund since 1968

Kings Bay AS Kings Bay AS is a limited company entirely owned by the Ministry of Climate and Environment Kings Bay AS owns the land that comprises the Broslashggerhalvoslashya Peninsula and Ny-Aringlesund As owner the company is responsible for the safety in the area and for the land-use plan The purpose of Kings Bay AS is to operate maintain and develop research infrastructure in Ny-Aringlesund and provide other necessary facilities and services Kings Bay AS serves as the point of contact to the Governor of Svalbard regarding safety matters is in charge of port and airport operations and provides board lodging and other logistics in Ny-Aringlesund The company offers services and facilitates the use of research infrastructure as well as having the responsibility for safeguarding cultural heritage sites on their property

Ny-Aringlesund Science Managers Committe The cooperative forum Ny-Aringlesund Science Managers Committee (NySMAC) was established in 1994 by the researchers in Ny-Aringlesund to enhance cooperation and coordination NySMAC contributes to the development of Ny-Aringlesund as an outstanding site for Arctic research through advancing cooperation between scientists and research projects and assisting in effective and sustainable utilization of Ny-Aringlesund as a research site As a major initiative to promote international collaboration NySMAC created the four flagship programmes (see chapter 41)

Any scientific institution that runs a long-term programme based in Ny-Aringlesund andor has significant research activities in Ny-Aringlesund is eligible to join NySMAC as a member New members are accepted following a consensus decision by NySMAC There are currently 18 member-institutions and four observers (see Box 1) NySMAC has a Chair and Co-chair these roles circulate among the member institutions The Chair and Co-chair are appointed for two years and each representative can serve for a maximum of two periods NPI serves as the forums Secretariat The committee plays an important role in coordinating research and infrastructure and sharing of information NySMAC serves as an adviser and collaborator regarding the development of research activity at the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

Phot

o K

arol

ine

Baelig

lum

S

SF

1312

SSF administers two funding schemes on behalf of RCN ndash the Svalbard Strategic Grant programme and the Arctic Field Grant programme (see also Box 4) The aim of these grants is to promote SSF priorities The funding is essential for maintaining and developing strategic research priorities for instance the Ny-Aringlesund flagship programmes The Arctic Field Grant is very important for recruitment It facilitates access to field work in Svalbard including Ny-Aringlesund for young scientists The SSF Secretariat is also responsible for operating and developing the unique coordination tool ndash the RiS-portal (see Box 2)

Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System

Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System (SIOS) addresses Earth System Science questions and is a Norwegian-initiated international large-scale research infrastructure programme that aims to establish a broadly distributed regional observing system for long-term measurements in and around the Svalbard Archipelago SIOS integrates existing observational infrastructure and generates added value for their members beyond what their individual capacities can provide The observing system strives to provide members with systematic high-quality observations in a cost-efficient and environmentally friendly manner

The consortium brings long-term measurements together into a coherent and integrated observational programme Within the member-based consortium of SIOS researchers can cooperate to access instruments acquire data and address questions that would not be practical or cost effective for a single institution or nation alone The knowledge centre the central hub of SIOS is located in the Svalbard Science Center in Longyearbyen and offers coordinated services for the research community A significant part of the instrumentation and infrastructure included in SIOS is physically located in Ny-Aringlesund SIOS is an observer in NySMAC

Institutions with national coordinating responsibilities

Several institutions with long-term research and monitoring activities in Ny-Aringlesund have national responsibilities as coordinators of their national activities at the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station These institutions are assessing and approving projects prior to registration in the Research in Svalbard (RiS) portal (see Box 2) They are expected to ensure that projects from their country comply with this research strategy minimize project overlap and ensure that projects are of high international calibre and that environmental concerns are addressed In cases of doubt the institution involved is encouraged to discuss with NySMAC prior to registration in the RiS-portal

NPI has the overall responsibility to ensure that all activities at the station are in line with this strategy and has the final authority to approve access

Svalbard Science Forum The Svalbard Science Forum (SSF) was established in 1998 to increase cooperation and coordination within Svalbard research SSF promotes open sharing of data and reduction of the environmental impact of research activities in the archipelago All research communities Longyearbyen Ny-Aringlesund Barentsburg and Hornsund are represented in SSF NySMAC represents the Ny-Aringlesund research community in the Forum The Research Council of Norway (RCN) serves as Chair of the SSF and is responsible for administering the permanent secretariat in Longyearbyen

Box 1NySMAC members and observers by April 2019

Members gt Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) Germany gt Andoslashya Space Center (ASC) Norway gt Chinese Arctic and Antarctic Administration (CAA) China gt Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) Italy gt GFZ German Research Centre for Geoscience (GFZ) Germany gt Institut Polaire Francais Paul Emile Victor (IPEV) France gt Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI) South Korea gt National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) India

gt National Institute of Polar Research (NIPR) Japan gt Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) UK gt Northern Research Institute Tromsoslash (NORUT) Norway gt Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU) Norway gt Norwegian Mapping Authority (NMA) Norway gt Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI) Norway gt Stockholm University (SU) Sweden gt The University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS) Norway gt University of Groningen (UoG) The Netherlands gt University of Tromsoslash (UiT) Norway

Observers gt Kings Bay AS (KB) Norway gt The Research Council of Norway (RCN) Norway gt Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System (SIOS) gt Svalbard Science Forum (SSF) Norway

Box 2Research in Svalbard (RiS) Portal The Research in Svalbard (RiS) Portal is the essential tool for researchers the Governor of Svalbard Kings Bay AS SSF NPI and others when it comes to information about research in Svalbard The portal facilitates finding new partners for collaboration and for coordinating fieldwork and logistics Hence RiS is a tool for thematic cooperation and logistics coordination for those carrying out research fieldwork and monitoring in Svalbard By using this open-access portal users gain information about projects and the participating researchers and institutions RiS also offers an overview of the fieldwork activity and of publications and metadata It is mandatory to register all research projects with activity in Ny-Aringlesund in RiS In addition RiS is a one-step portal and contains Kings Bay ASs booking module for ordering services in Ny-Aringlesund (travel lodging and use of infrastructure) as well as the Governors module for permit applications and reporting The portal is operated by the SSF Secretariat and is owned by the RCN To ensure that this portal remains an essential tool for research coordination overview and information the portal will be developed further

1514

4 World-class science

Well-developed research infrastructure an international research environment and extensive international research activity provides a unique environment for cooperation in Ny-Aringlesund The Research Station further provides a very comprehensive observing system for multidisciplinary research This combined with extraordinary accessibility and location enables the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station to be an important supplier of globally significant science

41 Scientific priority areas Research and monitoring activities in Ny-Aringlesund are to be within the natural sciences and should use the unique infra-structure and field possibilities that the area offers The area around Ny-Aringlesund is a limited resource and several research and monitoring activities are dependent on pristine condi-tions The historic environment is unique and an important cultural heritage site on Svalbard Cultural heritage research in Svalbard is therefore welcome in Ny-Aringlesund

Research in Ny-Aringlesund comprises the activities of various institutional national and international programmes Substantial portions of these activities are related and complementary To release its full potential four flagship programmes were established in the period 2009-2011 which in combination constitute most of the research and monitoring in Ny-Aringlesund The established flagship programmes are atmospheric research terrestrial ecosystems the Kongsfjorden system and glaciology research (see Box 3 for more information)

Zeppelin Observatory Photo Ove Hermansen NILU

Box 3Flagship programmes

The combination of a northern location a coastal setting a heterogenous landscape and relatively easy access has provided a unique environment for long-term research and time-series observations and makes Ny-Aringlesund a key location for research and environmental monitoring in the High Arctic

The research and monitoring activity in Ny-Aringlesund is organized in four broad and dynamic flagship programmes with extensive cross-disciplinary and cross-flagship collaboration The flagship programmes have regular meetings and are open to all scientists who are either actively engaged in studies in the area or who wish to develop new insights based on monitoring and research in the area

Further the flagship programmes function as arenas for contact coordination and cooperation in science

The Atmosphere Flagship focuses on measurements from the surface up to the upper atmosphere utilizing a wide array of different techniques and instruments The Kongsfjorden system ndash a high Arctic marine environment which is often influenced by influx of warmer Atlantic waters and thus highly sensitive to climate change in the Arctic ndash is the main scope of The Kongsfjorden system Flagship The Terrestrial Ecology Flagship brings together all studies on plant animals soil permafrost and lakes and coordinates field manipulations and study sites The Glaciology Flagship studies the cryosphere around Ny-Aringlesund especially fast-flowing surge type polythermal and calving glaciers

1716

42 Research quality High-quality research is conducted in Ny-Aringlesund and there is potential to increase the impact of this research even further Studies done by NIFU6 shows that Svalbard articles have been less cited than polar research generally (10-20 percent) NIFU reports have shown that publications with international col-laboration were cited more than the rest Citation rates vary somewhat by discipline but it appears that Svalbard articles including Ny-Aringlesund-based research are published in journals with lower citation rates than the journals most used to publish polar research in general Citation rates do not capture all aspects of quality however the NIFU findings suggest potential for improvement

The results of NIFUs studies suggest that measures to increase international cooperation and improve coordination of research in Svalbard may result in higher quality research outputs Research carried out in Ny-Aringlesund should strive to be placed in a pan-Arctic or global context and research results should be published in high-impact peer-reviewed journals It is important to exploit the diversity of Ny-Aringlesunds research communities further To improve dissemination of research activity the Research Station should produce a common annual report

The research institutions present in Ny-Aringlesund are expected to have high research ambitions and pursue international cooperation when this is beneficial To optimally exploit the unique research opportunities and develop the Research Station into an even better platform for high-quality research and long-term monitoring researchers are expected to take responsibility to encourage that

gt research projects are quality-assured prior to start-up and then maintain high professional standards

gt researchers collaborate with the best international partners in Ny-Aringlesund and elsewhere to enhance scientific quality

6 The term Ny-Aringlesund Research Station covers all research activity based in Ny-Aringlesund and the Kongsfjorden area

gt results are published in English in open internationally peer-reviewed journals

gt research is placed whenever possible in a wide context at the pan-Arctic or global level

Action point

gt the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station should present its ongoing scientific contributions in an annual report highlighting research results including a list of publications contribution to international networks and important research campaigns

The flagship programmes are networks that bring together scientists working in Ny-Aringlesund to enhance holistic approaches through long-term observations process under-standing and modelling The flagship programmes are led by a scientific committee with a Chair and a Co-chair Scientists contributing to the flagships are expected to further develop the science and work together to identify areas where addi-tional effort is needed They are also expected to take advan-tage of opportunities for synergies arising from the diversity of the international community and its many research dis- ciplines including cross-flagship activity

Ny-Aringlesund is a central reference station with important long-term climate and environment data series NySMAC and SSF have highlighted the potential and opportunities to develop an integrated monitoring programme for Ny-Aringlesund this should be developed further Key elements of this programme would be data accessibility and the use of data in research

Conditions for research in Ny-Aringlesund

gt Research is to be within the natural sciences5

gt Research is to make use of the arearsquos distinctive characteristics In general research that can significantly benefit from being done in Ny-Aringlesund should be prioritized

gt Research is to take environmental concerns into account and be within the Land-use plan and the Svalbard Environmental Protection Act

5 Exception for Culture heritage research

The actors are encouraged to

gt make sure that interference and overlap with other activities is avoided whenever possible

gt become familiar with and participate in the thematic flagship programmes

gt maintain long-time series and share data

gt ensure that all new projects identify themselves by registering their projects in the RiS-portal

gt discuss activities in NySMAC

Action points

gt Integrated monitoring programmes should be developed as a cooperation between institutions with monitoring activities

gt Research and research infrastructure priorities should be discussed in the flagship programmes and gap-analysis should be considered

gt Further development of the flagship programmes should be secured

Karin Springer University of Bremen Photo Kings Bay AS

1918

Phot

o G

eir W

ing

Gab

riel

sen

N

PI

2120

Courses should not be a dominant activity in Ny-Aringlesund UNIS is a unique centre for university-level study and research in Svalbard Ny-Aringlesund is an important location for some of their course activities and courses based at the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS) will be given priority in Ny-Aringlesund

In order to have a good overview and secure coordination and transparency an overall assessment of the needs and desires for teaching activities will be required It may be appropriate to impose deadlines for submitting requests All course activity requests must include a reason why the course in question must be held in Ny-Aringlesund

SSF allocates funding for fieldwork in Svalbard in which the main priority is to support MSc students PhD students and researchers not currently established in Svalbard This grant-ing programme recruits the new generation of young scientist and facilitates the opportunity to conduct fieldwork in Svalbard (Box 4)

Action points

gt Recruitment in polar research by promoting involvement of MSc and PhD students in research projects should be encouraged

gt RCN will continue to support field activity for MSc students and PhD students through Arctic Field Grants

gt Develop procedures for facilitating course activities at MSc and PhD levels

43 Education There is a need for recruitment in polar research both in Norway and internationally Ny-Aringlesund is a unique learning site with access to infrastructure field locations and an important international research environment Ny-Aringlesund should contribute to the recruitment of a new generation of polar researchers by hosting masters students and doctoral fellowship-holders in connection with research projects

Courses are welcome in Ny-Aringlesund as long as the following criteria are met

gt They are targeted for MSc andor PhD (or similar level) education

gt The courses will use research infrastructure or unique field opportunities available on-site

gt They are within natural science disciplines

gt There is capacity at the station

gt Sufficient consideration to the cultural-historical attributes and natural environment are taken into account

Box 4Arctic Field Grant (AFG)

The Arctic Field Grant (AFG) has been awarded to more than 1600 researchers master and PhD students since 1953 The grant has been managed by the RCN since 2011 and has since that time allocated 22 million NOK to 435 projects including 148 PhD and 225 MSc students

Some facts about AFG gt 3 of 10 recipients are now pursuing a career in polar science because of AFG

gt 4 of 10 projects were conducted in Ny-Aringlesund

gt 5 of 10 projects resulted in a peer reviewed paper

gt 6 of 10 applications were successful

gt 8 of 10 recipients are MSc or PhD students

gt 9 of 10 former recipients and supervisors said AFG helps with recruitment of young scientists into polar research

Phot

o S

teve

Cou

lson

U

NIS

2322

5 Sustainable research production

The present scope of research activity in Ny-Aringlesund makes it necessary to strengthen the interaction cooperation and coordination of research activities to ensure sustainability Sustainable research production stimulates new innovative ideas and gives the opportunity to do basic research Further sustainable research refers to activity that has low environmental impact promotes effectiveness through optimal use of data avoids extensive overlap and makes the best possible use of the arearsquos distinctive character

51 Coordination of research activity Various forums for logistical and practical research coordina-tion in Ny-Aringlesund have been established The area has exten-sive research infrastructure and a long tradition of research cooperation NPI will facilitate day-to-day coordination of activity through a weekly meeting with representatives from all key actors present in Ny-Aringlesund

NySMAC contributes to coordination of the research activities in Ny-Aringlesund The committee has an essential role in developing cooperation between the institutions present in Ny-Aringlesund It also acts as an advisory body regarding cooper-ation and priorities to the research actors with ongoing or planned projects in the area

Kings Bay AS serves as the provider of research logistics and it develops and maintains research infrastructure for common use

The member-based consortium SIOS has a significant role regarding instrumentation and infrastructure in Ny-Aringlesund SIOS has a coordinating role in the optimization of observa-tion of earth system science from research infrastructure located in Ny-Aringlesund

SSF acts as a coordinating body for all research activity on Svalbard and will continue to contribute to and stimulate enhanced cooperation and collaboration between the four research communities Longyearbyen Ny-Aringlesund Barentsburg and Hornsund

Close cooperation between all the above-mentioned bodies is essential for the further development of the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

52 International cooperation The unique international community present in Ny-Aringlesund has a history of extensive cooperation which has been essen-tial to enhance quality in polar research There is however potential for further utilization of the extensive infrastructure that is established in Svalbard International cooperation and exchange are a prerequisite for maintaining a creative innova-tive and world-class scientific environment in Ny-Aringlesund

Promotion of cooperation between the research communities in Ny-Aringlesund Longyearbyen Hornsund and Barentsburg as well as between Svalbard and other research communities around the world is of great importance to enhance know- ledge on global issues

Phot

o M

aria

nn

e Jo

han

sen

R

CN

2524

53 Sharing and development of research infrastructure

Coordination of infrastructure and logistical services is key to better utilisation of research infrastructure In Ny-Aringlesund the area available for new buildings is limited It is therefore

crucial that existing buildings are used efficiently The need of efficient use of existing buildings has resulted in joint services provided at the Marine Laboratory Zeppelin Observatory Climate Change Tower Gruvebadet Vaskeri Lab MS Teisten Light Sensitive Cabin and the newly established Terrestrial Laboratory (see Box 5)

SSF stimulates cooperation and collaborative efforts between all research communities in Svalbard and within all research disciplines SSF facilitates the RiS-portal (Box 2) for sharing information regarding research projects being conducted any-where in Svalbard including the four permanently manned research communities in Svalbard (Ny-Aringlesund Longyearbyen Barentsburg and Hornsund) The RiS-portal is a unique tool for information exchange and for enhancing cooperation and coordination

SSF administers the Svalbard Strategic Grant (SSG) pro-gramme This is a seed money program aimed at advancing coordination collaboration and data sharing between researchers working with Svalbard research as well as increas-ing cooperation and coordination between the four research communities in Svalbard

A Svalbard Science Conference ndash with the goal of stimulating and inspiring cooperation in and advancement of the research conducted in Svalbard was held for the first time in 2017 This conference gathered scientists experts and relevant key players needed to put Svalbard research in a global context The success of this first meeting has resulted in a plan to have this conference continue on a biennial basis This international conference strives to increase connectivity broadening the research network and bringing Svalbard research into a pan-Arctic setting

Action points

gt RCN in cooperation with SSF will continue and further develop SSG and RiS to support cooperation and coordination of research in Svalbard

gt RCN and SSF will establish the Svalbard Science Conference in cooperation with NPI and other relevant partners as an important arena for cooperation and dissemination of research in Svalbard

Box 5Shared infrastructure The Marine Laboratory is an experimental laboratory for research in marine ecology physiology and biochemistry as well as oceanography marine geology and ice physics The Marine Lab is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS and booking is done through the RiS-portal

The Zeppelin Observatory is an observatory for atmospheric research and monitoring The Observatory is part of a network of very important global observatories for atmospheric measurements and part of several regional and global monitoring networks The observatory is located at the mountain Zeppelinfjellet 475 masl The Zeppelin Observatory is owned and managed by the Norwegian Polar Institute

The Climate Change Tower (CCT) with a height of 32 m hosts many instruments mainly to investigate energy budgets in the Earth surface layer boundary layer dynamics and exchange fluxes at the atmospherendashland interface CCT is owned and managed by the CNR

Gruvebadet is an atmospheric laboratory and observatory located 1 km from the centre of Ny-Aringlesund The building currently hosts instrument for atmosphere and aerosol measurements Gruvebadet is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS

The Vaskeri Lab is an older building that consists of several rooms some of which can be used for common labs fex for environmental or terrestrial laboratory work and is perfect for work with soil sediments animal sampling etc Vaskeri Lab is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS

MS Teisten is a small work boat 31 feet long and equipped to do smaller scientific operations and surveys in Kongsfjorden and Krossfjorden MS Teisten is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS and booking can be done through RiS

The Terrestrial Laboratory (Veksthuset) is located in the middle of town and includes brand new dry and semi-wet lab facilities The labs are expected to be ready for use from summer 2019 The lab is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS

The Light Sensitive Cabin is located 25 km from the centre of Ny-Aringlesund and is specially designed to host instruments that require minimal light contamination The cabin has four domes on the roof is connected to high-speed internet and is insulated The light sensitive cabin is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS

In addition there are some smaller observatoriesplatforms run by various institutions located at the various buildings in Ny-Aringlesund that host instruments for long-term monitoring Several of these are available for other users by request to the owner

Terrestrial Laboratory Photo Susanne Wasa Hagen Kings Bay AS

2726

55 Making information available Making information available to others is essential to estab-lish communication among on-going projects and initiatives The RiS-portal is the important tool to register projects and to find information about activities in Ny-Aringlesund

The flagship programmes have created meeting places for the largest disciplines in Ny-Aringlesund that are important for network building and increasing collaboration

NySMAC has established an internal Project Information and Discussion (PID) forum to share information regarding planned activities These collaborative tools are used by NySMAC in between the semi-annual meetings

To improve dissemination of information relevant to all researchers planning or engaged in activities in Ny-Aringlesund NPI and Kings Bay AS will develop a dedicated and comprehensive web site for Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

Researchers and institutes are expected to

gt register Svalbard-based research projects in RiS and keep the information updated

gt become familiar with other relevant activities by using RiS

Action points

gt SSF will further develop RiS and continue their efforts to ensure that RiS is used by researchers as an attractive portal for information regarding research and opportunities for thematic collaboration and logistics cooperation in Svalbard

gt Development of a dedicated and comprehensive web site for Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

Developing shared thematic laboratories will improve the utilisation of the buildings in Ny-Aringlesund Being an attractive provider of research infrastructure requires effective profes-sional operations efficient utilisation and a realistic cost level For this approach to succeed it is important to develop the existing buildings in accordance with research needs and to facilitate professional joint services that researchers find attractive Ny-Aringlesunds scientific community should take part in the decisions regarding development of new joint services to ensure that they match research needs Norwayrsquos long-term ambition is to further develop thematically-based research infrastructure in Ny-Aringlesund

SIOS is an important tool for sharing and collaborating in the utilisation of Svalbardrsquos infrastructure Scientists conducting earth system research in Ny-Aringlesund are encouraged to become members of SIOS SIOS offers opportunities to access the memberrsquos infrastructure and data through regular strategic calls Access will be based on scientific excellence Applica-tions for access should be made through SIOS decisions will be made in collaboration with the member responsible for the specific infrastructure Research infrastructure includes physical spaces such as laboratories as well as scientific instruments samples data and e-infrastructure

The actors are encouraged to

gt coordinate their activities in Ny-Aringlesund with those of other institutions to optimize research infrastructure utilisation

gt make infrastructure available to others

gt become members of SIOS

gt collaborate and coordinate use of logistics services

Action points

gt Draw up a ldquogap- analysisrdquo for the development of new infrastructure

gt Create a cost-efficiency model for Ny-Aringlesund that includes development of joint research infrastructure

54 Radio silence Ny-Aringlesund is a radio silent area with the long-term goal to further minimize the emissions of electromagnetic (radio wave) pollution Some important sensing-instruments like the VLBI radio telescopes at Norways geodetic laboratory need radio silence to function optimally The General authorisations regulations in Norway (fribruksforskriften) which allows use without permit for common equipment is not valid for the frequencies 2 GHzndash32 GHz within a 20 km radius from Ny-Aringlesund Technology using the 2 GHzndash32 GHz frequency range requires application to the National Communications Authority (Nkom)

Upholding a pristine environment also includes avoiding electro- magnetic pollution Ny-Aringlesund is a unique location world-wide in having radio silence while also providing the infra-structure and logistical support necessary for large-scale research installations Consequently maintaining radio silence is a key priority and efforts to develop the infrastructure to conduct necessary measurements outside the protected frequency band should be intensified For research that requires use of the radio frequency range in question and that cannot be conducted elsewhere in Svalbard it is neces-sary to have overview of frequencies in use in Ny-Aringlesund The radio silence working group established under NySMAC is important in this context

Action points

gt All actors have to contribute to maintain radio silence and prioritise research that does not interfere with the radio silence

gt Develop good procedures and priorities for the use of technology with active transmitters

Norwegian Mapping Authoritys new geodetic observatory Photo Helge Tore Markussen NPI

2928

6 Open access to data

7 Report No 30 (2008ndash2009) to the Storting a white paper on research policy Meld St 18 (2012ndash2013) the white paper Long-term perspectives ndash knowledge provides opportunity Meld St 27 (2015ndash2016) a white paper on Norwayrsquos digital agenda the Ministry of Education and Researchrsquos National strategy on access to and sharing of research data (2017) the EU Commissionrsquos decision to make open data access the norm in the Horizon 2020 programme its ldquoGuidelines on FAIR Data Management in Horizon 2020rdquo its publication ldquoOpen Innovation Open Science Open to the world ndash a vision for Europerdquo and the European Research Area and Innovation Committeersquos Opinion on Open Research Data etc

8 Ministry of Education and Researchrsquos National strategy on access to and sharing of research data (2017) 9 httpswwwforce11orggroupfairgroupfairprinciples10 SIOS Data Policy

Open access to data makes it easier to validate and assess findings as well as to use data in new ways Combining data facilitates more interdisciplinary research Open access to research data reduces duplication of effort increases efficiency and reduces environmental impacts Broader access to research data will strengthen the quality of research in Svalbard

Norwegian and international research policies7 emphasises that research data should be made openly accessible when no legitimate considerations prevent its accessibility or ldquoas open as possible as closed as necessaryrdquo8 This point is made in the Strategy for research and higher education in Svalbard in which the following Norwegian Government objective is expressed ldquoResearch communities active in Svalbard shall take the lead in moving towards shared research data and infrastructurerdquo

Strong metadata ie information about collection delinea-tion definition and other factors relevant for further use is a prerequisite for being able to find and interpret data It is therefore important that data producers are meticulous about standardising the methods and sharing metadata in a way that make data easier to use ideally in line with the FAIR- principles9 FAIR stands for findable accessible interoperable and reusable The concept interoperable entails that both data and metadata must be machine-readable and that a consist-ent terminology is used

The SIOS consortium has developed a data policy that is con-sistent with international principles including requirements for the availability and quality of metadata10 The members of SIOS which includes research conducted in Ny-Aringlesund and Svalbard will be obliged to comply with these principles Standardised metadata requirements should be established for all research in Ny-Aringlesund

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3 Key institutions and forums for Ny-Aringlesund research

All research actors in Ny-Aringlesund have a responsibility to coordinate their activities with the other institutions on site This chapter describes the institutions with special responsibilities for coordination and operations as well as important forums for cooperation

Norwegian Polar Institute The Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI) is a directorate under the Ministry of Climate and Environment As a directorate it performs Norways host role in Ny-Aringlesund and is responsible for implementation and follow-up of the strategy locally NPI is the point of contact for scientific research and associated activities and has the overall on-site responsibility for ensuring coordination Accordingly NPI holds weekly meetings attended by representatives of other organisations working at the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

NPI is also Norwayrsquos central institute for environmental monitoring mapping and scientific research in the Polar Regions NPI has had a year-round presence in Ny-Aringlesund since 1968

Kings Bay AS Kings Bay AS is a limited company entirely owned by the Ministry of Climate and Environment Kings Bay AS owns the land that comprises the Broslashggerhalvoslashya Peninsula and Ny-Aringlesund As owner the company is responsible for the safety in the area and for the land-use plan The purpose of Kings Bay AS is to operate maintain and develop research infrastructure in Ny-Aringlesund and provide other necessary facilities and services Kings Bay AS serves as the point of contact to the Governor of Svalbard regarding safety matters is in charge of port and airport operations and provides board lodging and other logistics in Ny-Aringlesund The company offers services and facilitates the use of research infrastructure as well as having the responsibility for safeguarding cultural heritage sites on their property

Ny-Aringlesund Science Managers Committe The cooperative forum Ny-Aringlesund Science Managers Committee (NySMAC) was established in 1994 by the researchers in Ny-Aringlesund to enhance cooperation and coordination NySMAC contributes to the development of Ny-Aringlesund as an outstanding site for Arctic research through advancing cooperation between scientists and research projects and assisting in effective and sustainable utilization of Ny-Aringlesund as a research site As a major initiative to promote international collaboration NySMAC created the four flagship programmes (see chapter 41)

Any scientific institution that runs a long-term programme based in Ny-Aringlesund andor has significant research activities in Ny-Aringlesund is eligible to join NySMAC as a member New members are accepted following a consensus decision by NySMAC There are currently 18 member-institutions and four observers (see Box 1) NySMAC has a Chair and Co-chair these roles circulate among the member institutions The Chair and Co-chair are appointed for two years and each representative can serve for a maximum of two periods NPI serves as the forums Secretariat The committee plays an important role in coordinating research and infrastructure and sharing of information NySMAC serves as an adviser and collaborator regarding the development of research activity at the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

Phot

o K

arol

ine

Baelig

lum

S

SF

1312

SSF administers two funding schemes on behalf of RCN ndash the Svalbard Strategic Grant programme and the Arctic Field Grant programme (see also Box 4) The aim of these grants is to promote SSF priorities The funding is essential for maintaining and developing strategic research priorities for instance the Ny-Aringlesund flagship programmes The Arctic Field Grant is very important for recruitment It facilitates access to field work in Svalbard including Ny-Aringlesund for young scientists The SSF Secretariat is also responsible for operating and developing the unique coordination tool ndash the RiS-portal (see Box 2)

Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System

Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System (SIOS) addresses Earth System Science questions and is a Norwegian-initiated international large-scale research infrastructure programme that aims to establish a broadly distributed regional observing system for long-term measurements in and around the Svalbard Archipelago SIOS integrates existing observational infrastructure and generates added value for their members beyond what their individual capacities can provide The observing system strives to provide members with systematic high-quality observations in a cost-efficient and environmentally friendly manner

The consortium brings long-term measurements together into a coherent and integrated observational programme Within the member-based consortium of SIOS researchers can cooperate to access instruments acquire data and address questions that would not be practical or cost effective for a single institution or nation alone The knowledge centre the central hub of SIOS is located in the Svalbard Science Center in Longyearbyen and offers coordinated services for the research community A significant part of the instrumentation and infrastructure included in SIOS is physically located in Ny-Aringlesund SIOS is an observer in NySMAC

Institutions with national coordinating responsibilities

Several institutions with long-term research and monitoring activities in Ny-Aringlesund have national responsibilities as coordinators of their national activities at the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station These institutions are assessing and approving projects prior to registration in the Research in Svalbard (RiS) portal (see Box 2) They are expected to ensure that projects from their country comply with this research strategy minimize project overlap and ensure that projects are of high international calibre and that environmental concerns are addressed In cases of doubt the institution involved is encouraged to discuss with NySMAC prior to registration in the RiS-portal

NPI has the overall responsibility to ensure that all activities at the station are in line with this strategy and has the final authority to approve access

Svalbard Science Forum The Svalbard Science Forum (SSF) was established in 1998 to increase cooperation and coordination within Svalbard research SSF promotes open sharing of data and reduction of the environmental impact of research activities in the archipelago All research communities Longyearbyen Ny-Aringlesund Barentsburg and Hornsund are represented in SSF NySMAC represents the Ny-Aringlesund research community in the Forum The Research Council of Norway (RCN) serves as Chair of the SSF and is responsible for administering the permanent secretariat in Longyearbyen

Box 1NySMAC members and observers by April 2019

Members gt Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) Germany gt Andoslashya Space Center (ASC) Norway gt Chinese Arctic and Antarctic Administration (CAA) China gt Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) Italy gt GFZ German Research Centre for Geoscience (GFZ) Germany gt Institut Polaire Francais Paul Emile Victor (IPEV) France gt Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI) South Korea gt National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) India

gt National Institute of Polar Research (NIPR) Japan gt Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) UK gt Northern Research Institute Tromsoslash (NORUT) Norway gt Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU) Norway gt Norwegian Mapping Authority (NMA) Norway gt Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI) Norway gt Stockholm University (SU) Sweden gt The University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS) Norway gt University of Groningen (UoG) The Netherlands gt University of Tromsoslash (UiT) Norway

Observers gt Kings Bay AS (KB) Norway gt The Research Council of Norway (RCN) Norway gt Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System (SIOS) gt Svalbard Science Forum (SSF) Norway

Box 2Research in Svalbard (RiS) Portal The Research in Svalbard (RiS) Portal is the essential tool for researchers the Governor of Svalbard Kings Bay AS SSF NPI and others when it comes to information about research in Svalbard The portal facilitates finding new partners for collaboration and for coordinating fieldwork and logistics Hence RiS is a tool for thematic cooperation and logistics coordination for those carrying out research fieldwork and monitoring in Svalbard By using this open-access portal users gain information about projects and the participating researchers and institutions RiS also offers an overview of the fieldwork activity and of publications and metadata It is mandatory to register all research projects with activity in Ny-Aringlesund in RiS In addition RiS is a one-step portal and contains Kings Bay ASs booking module for ordering services in Ny-Aringlesund (travel lodging and use of infrastructure) as well as the Governors module for permit applications and reporting The portal is operated by the SSF Secretariat and is owned by the RCN To ensure that this portal remains an essential tool for research coordination overview and information the portal will be developed further

1514

4 World-class science

Well-developed research infrastructure an international research environment and extensive international research activity provides a unique environment for cooperation in Ny-Aringlesund The Research Station further provides a very comprehensive observing system for multidisciplinary research This combined with extraordinary accessibility and location enables the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station to be an important supplier of globally significant science

41 Scientific priority areas Research and monitoring activities in Ny-Aringlesund are to be within the natural sciences and should use the unique infra-structure and field possibilities that the area offers The area around Ny-Aringlesund is a limited resource and several research and monitoring activities are dependent on pristine condi-tions The historic environment is unique and an important cultural heritage site on Svalbard Cultural heritage research in Svalbard is therefore welcome in Ny-Aringlesund

Research in Ny-Aringlesund comprises the activities of various institutional national and international programmes Substantial portions of these activities are related and complementary To release its full potential four flagship programmes were established in the period 2009-2011 which in combination constitute most of the research and monitoring in Ny-Aringlesund The established flagship programmes are atmospheric research terrestrial ecosystems the Kongsfjorden system and glaciology research (see Box 3 for more information)

Zeppelin Observatory Photo Ove Hermansen NILU

Box 3Flagship programmes

The combination of a northern location a coastal setting a heterogenous landscape and relatively easy access has provided a unique environment for long-term research and time-series observations and makes Ny-Aringlesund a key location for research and environmental monitoring in the High Arctic

The research and monitoring activity in Ny-Aringlesund is organized in four broad and dynamic flagship programmes with extensive cross-disciplinary and cross-flagship collaboration The flagship programmes have regular meetings and are open to all scientists who are either actively engaged in studies in the area or who wish to develop new insights based on monitoring and research in the area

Further the flagship programmes function as arenas for contact coordination and cooperation in science

The Atmosphere Flagship focuses on measurements from the surface up to the upper atmosphere utilizing a wide array of different techniques and instruments The Kongsfjorden system ndash a high Arctic marine environment which is often influenced by influx of warmer Atlantic waters and thus highly sensitive to climate change in the Arctic ndash is the main scope of The Kongsfjorden system Flagship The Terrestrial Ecology Flagship brings together all studies on plant animals soil permafrost and lakes and coordinates field manipulations and study sites The Glaciology Flagship studies the cryosphere around Ny-Aringlesund especially fast-flowing surge type polythermal and calving glaciers

1716

42 Research quality High-quality research is conducted in Ny-Aringlesund and there is potential to increase the impact of this research even further Studies done by NIFU6 shows that Svalbard articles have been less cited than polar research generally (10-20 percent) NIFU reports have shown that publications with international col-laboration were cited more than the rest Citation rates vary somewhat by discipline but it appears that Svalbard articles including Ny-Aringlesund-based research are published in journals with lower citation rates than the journals most used to publish polar research in general Citation rates do not capture all aspects of quality however the NIFU findings suggest potential for improvement

The results of NIFUs studies suggest that measures to increase international cooperation and improve coordination of research in Svalbard may result in higher quality research outputs Research carried out in Ny-Aringlesund should strive to be placed in a pan-Arctic or global context and research results should be published in high-impact peer-reviewed journals It is important to exploit the diversity of Ny-Aringlesunds research communities further To improve dissemination of research activity the Research Station should produce a common annual report

The research institutions present in Ny-Aringlesund are expected to have high research ambitions and pursue international cooperation when this is beneficial To optimally exploit the unique research opportunities and develop the Research Station into an even better platform for high-quality research and long-term monitoring researchers are expected to take responsibility to encourage that

gt research projects are quality-assured prior to start-up and then maintain high professional standards

gt researchers collaborate with the best international partners in Ny-Aringlesund and elsewhere to enhance scientific quality

6 The term Ny-Aringlesund Research Station covers all research activity based in Ny-Aringlesund and the Kongsfjorden area

gt results are published in English in open internationally peer-reviewed journals

gt research is placed whenever possible in a wide context at the pan-Arctic or global level

Action point

gt the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station should present its ongoing scientific contributions in an annual report highlighting research results including a list of publications contribution to international networks and important research campaigns

The flagship programmes are networks that bring together scientists working in Ny-Aringlesund to enhance holistic approaches through long-term observations process under-standing and modelling The flagship programmes are led by a scientific committee with a Chair and a Co-chair Scientists contributing to the flagships are expected to further develop the science and work together to identify areas where addi-tional effort is needed They are also expected to take advan-tage of opportunities for synergies arising from the diversity of the international community and its many research dis- ciplines including cross-flagship activity

Ny-Aringlesund is a central reference station with important long-term climate and environment data series NySMAC and SSF have highlighted the potential and opportunities to develop an integrated monitoring programme for Ny-Aringlesund this should be developed further Key elements of this programme would be data accessibility and the use of data in research

Conditions for research in Ny-Aringlesund

gt Research is to be within the natural sciences5

gt Research is to make use of the arearsquos distinctive characteristics In general research that can significantly benefit from being done in Ny-Aringlesund should be prioritized

gt Research is to take environmental concerns into account and be within the Land-use plan and the Svalbard Environmental Protection Act

5 Exception for Culture heritage research

The actors are encouraged to

gt make sure that interference and overlap with other activities is avoided whenever possible

gt become familiar with and participate in the thematic flagship programmes

gt maintain long-time series and share data

gt ensure that all new projects identify themselves by registering their projects in the RiS-portal

gt discuss activities in NySMAC

Action points

gt Integrated monitoring programmes should be developed as a cooperation between institutions with monitoring activities

gt Research and research infrastructure priorities should be discussed in the flagship programmes and gap-analysis should be considered

gt Further development of the flagship programmes should be secured

Karin Springer University of Bremen Photo Kings Bay AS

1918

Phot

o G

eir W

ing

Gab

riel

sen

N

PI

2120

Courses should not be a dominant activity in Ny-Aringlesund UNIS is a unique centre for university-level study and research in Svalbard Ny-Aringlesund is an important location for some of their course activities and courses based at the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS) will be given priority in Ny-Aringlesund

In order to have a good overview and secure coordination and transparency an overall assessment of the needs and desires for teaching activities will be required It may be appropriate to impose deadlines for submitting requests All course activity requests must include a reason why the course in question must be held in Ny-Aringlesund

SSF allocates funding for fieldwork in Svalbard in which the main priority is to support MSc students PhD students and researchers not currently established in Svalbard This grant-ing programme recruits the new generation of young scientist and facilitates the opportunity to conduct fieldwork in Svalbard (Box 4)

Action points

gt Recruitment in polar research by promoting involvement of MSc and PhD students in research projects should be encouraged

gt RCN will continue to support field activity for MSc students and PhD students through Arctic Field Grants

gt Develop procedures for facilitating course activities at MSc and PhD levels

43 Education There is a need for recruitment in polar research both in Norway and internationally Ny-Aringlesund is a unique learning site with access to infrastructure field locations and an important international research environment Ny-Aringlesund should contribute to the recruitment of a new generation of polar researchers by hosting masters students and doctoral fellowship-holders in connection with research projects

Courses are welcome in Ny-Aringlesund as long as the following criteria are met

gt They are targeted for MSc andor PhD (or similar level) education

gt The courses will use research infrastructure or unique field opportunities available on-site

gt They are within natural science disciplines

gt There is capacity at the station

gt Sufficient consideration to the cultural-historical attributes and natural environment are taken into account

Box 4Arctic Field Grant (AFG)

The Arctic Field Grant (AFG) has been awarded to more than 1600 researchers master and PhD students since 1953 The grant has been managed by the RCN since 2011 and has since that time allocated 22 million NOK to 435 projects including 148 PhD and 225 MSc students

Some facts about AFG gt 3 of 10 recipients are now pursuing a career in polar science because of AFG

gt 4 of 10 projects were conducted in Ny-Aringlesund

gt 5 of 10 projects resulted in a peer reviewed paper

gt 6 of 10 applications were successful

gt 8 of 10 recipients are MSc or PhD students

gt 9 of 10 former recipients and supervisors said AFG helps with recruitment of young scientists into polar research

Phot

o S

teve

Cou

lson

U

NIS

2322

5 Sustainable research production

The present scope of research activity in Ny-Aringlesund makes it necessary to strengthen the interaction cooperation and coordination of research activities to ensure sustainability Sustainable research production stimulates new innovative ideas and gives the opportunity to do basic research Further sustainable research refers to activity that has low environmental impact promotes effectiveness through optimal use of data avoids extensive overlap and makes the best possible use of the arearsquos distinctive character

51 Coordination of research activity Various forums for logistical and practical research coordina-tion in Ny-Aringlesund have been established The area has exten-sive research infrastructure and a long tradition of research cooperation NPI will facilitate day-to-day coordination of activity through a weekly meeting with representatives from all key actors present in Ny-Aringlesund

NySMAC contributes to coordination of the research activities in Ny-Aringlesund The committee has an essential role in developing cooperation between the institutions present in Ny-Aringlesund It also acts as an advisory body regarding cooper-ation and priorities to the research actors with ongoing or planned projects in the area

Kings Bay AS serves as the provider of research logistics and it develops and maintains research infrastructure for common use

The member-based consortium SIOS has a significant role regarding instrumentation and infrastructure in Ny-Aringlesund SIOS has a coordinating role in the optimization of observa-tion of earth system science from research infrastructure located in Ny-Aringlesund

SSF acts as a coordinating body for all research activity on Svalbard and will continue to contribute to and stimulate enhanced cooperation and collaboration between the four research communities Longyearbyen Ny-Aringlesund Barentsburg and Hornsund

Close cooperation between all the above-mentioned bodies is essential for the further development of the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

52 International cooperation The unique international community present in Ny-Aringlesund has a history of extensive cooperation which has been essen-tial to enhance quality in polar research There is however potential for further utilization of the extensive infrastructure that is established in Svalbard International cooperation and exchange are a prerequisite for maintaining a creative innova-tive and world-class scientific environment in Ny-Aringlesund

Promotion of cooperation between the research communities in Ny-Aringlesund Longyearbyen Hornsund and Barentsburg as well as between Svalbard and other research communities around the world is of great importance to enhance know- ledge on global issues

Phot

o M

aria

nn

e Jo

han

sen

R

CN

2524

53 Sharing and development of research infrastructure

Coordination of infrastructure and logistical services is key to better utilisation of research infrastructure In Ny-Aringlesund the area available for new buildings is limited It is therefore

crucial that existing buildings are used efficiently The need of efficient use of existing buildings has resulted in joint services provided at the Marine Laboratory Zeppelin Observatory Climate Change Tower Gruvebadet Vaskeri Lab MS Teisten Light Sensitive Cabin and the newly established Terrestrial Laboratory (see Box 5)

SSF stimulates cooperation and collaborative efforts between all research communities in Svalbard and within all research disciplines SSF facilitates the RiS-portal (Box 2) for sharing information regarding research projects being conducted any-where in Svalbard including the four permanently manned research communities in Svalbard (Ny-Aringlesund Longyearbyen Barentsburg and Hornsund) The RiS-portal is a unique tool for information exchange and for enhancing cooperation and coordination

SSF administers the Svalbard Strategic Grant (SSG) pro-gramme This is a seed money program aimed at advancing coordination collaboration and data sharing between researchers working with Svalbard research as well as increas-ing cooperation and coordination between the four research communities in Svalbard

A Svalbard Science Conference ndash with the goal of stimulating and inspiring cooperation in and advancement of the research conducted in Svalbard was held for the first time in 2017 This conference gathered scientists experts and relevant key players needed to put Svalbard research in a global context The success of this first meeting has resulted in a plan to have this conference continue on a biennial basis This international conference strives to increase connectivity broadening the research network and bringing Svalbard research into a pan-Arctic setting

Action points

gt RCN in cooperation with SSF will continue and further develop SSG and RiS to support cooperation and coordination of research in Svalbard

gt RCN and SSF will establish the Svalbard Science Conference in cooperation with NPI and other relevant partners as an important arena for cooperation and dissemination of research in Svalbard

Box 5Shared infrastructure The Marine Laboratory is an experimental laboratory for research in marine ecology physiology and biochemistry as well as oceanography marine geology and ice physics The Marine Lab is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS and booking is done through the RiS-portal

The Zeppelin Observatory is an observatory for atmospheric research and monitoring The Observatory is part of a network of very important global observatories for atmospheric measurements and part of several regional and global monitoring networks The observatory is located at the mountain Zeppelinfjellet 475 masl The Zeppelin Observatory is owned and managed by the Norwegian Polar Institute

The Climate Change Tower (CCT) with a height of 32 m hosts many instruments mainly to investigate energy budgets in the Earth surface layer boundary layer dynamics and exchange fluxes at the atmospherendashland interface CCT is owned and managed by the CNR

Gruvebadet is an atmospheric laboratory and observatory located 1 km from the centre of Ny-Aringlesund The building currently hosts instrument for atmosphere and aerosol measurements Gruvebadet is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS

The Vaskeri Lab is an older building that consists of several rooms some of which can be used for common labs fex for environmental or terrestrial laboratory work and is perfect for work with soil sediments animal sampling etc Vaskeri Lab is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS

MS Teisten is a small work boat 31 feet long and equipped to do smaller scientific operations and surveys in Kongsfjorden and Krossfjorden MS Teisten is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS and booking can be done through RiS

The Terrestrial Laboratory (Veksthuset) is located in the middle of town and includes brand new dry and semi-wet lab facilities The labs are expected to be ready for use from summer 2019 The lab is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS

The Light Sensitive Cabin is located 25 km from the centre of Ny-Aringlesund and is specially designed to host instruments that require minimal light contamination The cabin has four domes on the roof is connected to high-speed internet and is insulated The light sensitive cabin is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS

In addition there are some smaller observatoriesplatforms run by various institutions located at the various buildings in Ny-Aringlesund that host instruments for long-term monitoring Several of these are available for other users by request to the owner

Terrestrial Laboratory Photo Susanne Wasa Hagen Kings Bay AS

2726

55 Making information available Making information available to others is essential to estab-lish communication among on-going projects and initiatives The RiS-portal is the important tool to register projects and to find information about activities in Ny-Aringlesund

The flagship programmes have created meeting places for the largest disciplines in Ny-Aringlesund that are important for network building and increasing collaboration

NySMAC has established an internal Project Information and Discussion (PID) forum to share information regarding planned activities These collaborative tools are used by NySMAC in between the semi-annual meetings

To improve dissemination of information relevant to all researchers planning or engaged in activities in Ny-Aringlesund NPI and Kings Bay AS will develop a dedicated and comprehensive web site for Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

Researchers and institutes are expected to

gt register Svalbard-based research projects in RiS and keep the information updated

gt become familiar with other relevant activities by using RiS

Action points

gt SSF will further develop RiS and continue their efforts to ensure that RiS is used by researchers as an attractive portal for information regarding research and opportunities for thematic collaboration and logistics cooperation in Svalbard

gt Development of a dedicated and comprehensive web site for Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

Developing shared thematic laboratories will improve the utilisation of the buildings in Ny-Aringlesund Being an attractive provider of research infrastructure requires effective profes-sional operations efficient utilisation and a realistic cost level For this approach to succeed it is important to develop the existing buildings in accordance with research needs and to facilitate professional joint services that researchers find attractive Ny-Aringlesunds scientific community should take part in the decisions regarding development of new joint services to ensure that they match research needs Norwayrsquos long-term ambition is to further develop thematically-based research infrastructure in Ny-Aringlesund

SIOS is an important tool for sharing and collaborating in the utilisation of Svalbardrsquos infrastructure Scientists conducting earth system research in Ny-Aringlesund are encouraged to become members of SIOS SIOS offers opportunities to access the memberrsquos infrastructure and data through regular strategic calls Access will be based on scientific excellence Applica-tions for access should be made through SIOS decisions will be made in collaboration with the member responsible for the specific infrastructure Research infrastructure includes physical spaces such as laboratories as well as scientific instruments samples data and e-infrastructure

The actors are encouraged to

gt coordinate their activities in Ny-Aringlesund with those of other institutions to optimize research infrastructure utilisation

gt make infrastructure available to others

gt become members of SIOS

gt collaborate and coordinate use of logistics services

Action points

gt Draw up a ldquogap- analysisrdquo for the development of new infrastructure

gt Create a cost-efficiency model for Ny-Aringlesund that includes development of joint research infrastructure

54 Radio silence Ny-Aringlesund is a radio silent area with the long-term goal to further minimize the emissions of electromagnetic (radio wave) pollution Some important sensing-instruments like the VLBI radio telescopes at Norways geodetic laboratory need radio silence to function optimally The General authorisations regulations in Norway (fribruksforskriften) which allows use without permit for common equipment is not valid for the frequencies 2 GHzndash32 GHz within a 20 km radius from Ny-Aringlesund Technology using the 2 GHzndash32 GHz frequency range requires application to the National Communications Authority (Nkom)

Upholding a pristine environment also includes avoiding electro- magnetic pollution Ny-Aringlesund is a unique location world-wide in having radio silence while also providing the infra-structure and logistical support necessary for large-scale research installations Consequently maintaining radio silence is a key priority and efforts to develop the infrastructure to conduct necessary measurements outside the protected frequency band should be intensified For research that requires use of the radio frequency range in question and that cannot be conducted elsewhere in Svalbard it is neces-sary to have overview of frequencies in use in Ny-Aringlesund The radio silence working group established under NySMAC is important in this context

Action points

gt All actors have to contribute to maintain radio silence and prioritise research that does not interfere with the radio silence

gt Develop good procedures and priorities for the use of technology with active transmitters

Norwegian Mapping Authoritys new geodetic observatory Photo Helge Tore Markussen NPI

2928

6 Open access to data

7 Report No 30 (2008ndash2009) to the Storting a white paper on research policy Meld St 18 (2012ndash2013) the white paper Long-term perspectives ndash knowledge provides opportunity Meld St 27 (2015ndash2016) a white paper on Norwayrsquos digital agenda the Ministry of Education and Researchrsquos National strategy on access to and sharing of research data (2017) the EU Commissionrsquos decision to make open data access the norm in the Horizon 2020 programme its ldquoGuidelines on FAIR Data Management in Horizon 2020rdquo its publication ldquoOpen Innovation Open Science Open to the world ndash a vision for Europerdquo and the European Research Area and Innovation Committeersquos Opinion on Open Research Data etc

8 Ministry of Education and Researchrsquos National strategy on access to and sharing of research data (2017) 9 httpswwwforce11orggroupfairgroupfairprinciples10 SIOS Data Policy

Open access to data makes it easier to validate and assess findings as well as to use data in new ways Combining data facilitates more interdisciplinary research Open access to research data reduces duplication of effort increases efficiency and reduces environmental impacts Broader access to research data will strengthen the quality of research in Svalbard

Norwegian and international research policies7 emphasises that research data should be made openly accessible when no legitimate considerations prevent its accessibility or ldquoas open as possible as closed as necessaryrdquo8 This point is made in the Strategy for research and higher education in Svalbard in which the following Norwegian Government objective is expressed ldquoResearch communities active in Svalbard shall take the lead in moving towards shared research data and infrastructurerdquo

Strong metadata ie information about collection delinea-tion definition and other factors relevant for further use is a prerequisite for being able to find and interpret data It is therefore important that data producers are meticulous about standardising the methods and sharing metadata in a way that make data easier to use ideally in line with the FAIR- principles9 FAIR stands for findable accessible interoperable and reusable The concept interoperable entails that both data and metadata must be machine-readable and that a consist-ent terminology is used

The SIOS consortium has developed a data policy that is con-sistent with international principles including requirements for the availability and quality of metadata10 The members of SIOS which includes research conducted in Ny-Aringlesund and Svalbard will be obliged to comply with these principles Standardised metadata requirements should be established for all research in Ny-Aringlesund

Phot

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SSF administers two funding schemes on behalf of RCN ndash the Svalbard Strategic Grant programme and the Arctic Field Grant programme (see also Box 4) The aim of these grants is to promote SSF priorities The funding is essential for maintaining and developing strategic research priorities for instance the Ny-Aringlesund flagship programmes The Arctic Field Grant is very important for recruitment It facilitates access to field work in Svalbard including Ny-Aringlesund for young scientists The SSF Secretariat is also responsible for operating and developing the unique coordination tool ndash the RiS-portal (see Box 2)

Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System

Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System (SIOS) addresses Earth System Science questions and is a Norwegian-initiated international large-scale research infrastructure programme that aims to establish a broadly distributed regional observing system for long-term measurements in and around the Svalbard Archipelago SIOS integrates existing observational infrastructure and generates added value for their members beyond what their individual capacities can provide The observing system strives to provide members with systematic high-quality observations in a cost-efficient and environmentally friendly manner

The consortium brings long-term measurements together into a coherent and integrated observational programme Within the member-based consortium of SIOS researchers can cooperate to access instruments acquire data and address questions that would not be practical or cost effective for a single institution or nation alone The knowledge centre the central hub of SIOS is located in the Svalbard Science Center in Longyearbyen and offers coordinated services for the research community A significant part of the instrumentation and infrastructure included in SIOS is physically located in Ny-Aringlesund SIOS is an observer in NySMAC

Institutions with national coordinating responsibilities

Several institutions with long-term research and monitoring activities in Ny-Aringlesund have national responsibilities as coordinators of their national activities at the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station These institutions are assessing and approving projects prior to registration in the Research in Svalbard (RiS) portal (see Box 2) They are expected to ensure that projects from their country comply with this research strategy minimize project overlap and ensure that projects are of high international calibre and that environmental concerns are addressed In cases of doubt the institution involved is encouraged to discuss with NySMAC prior to registration in the RiS-portal

NPI has the overall responsibility to ensure that all activities at the station are in line with this strategy and has the final authority to approve access

Svalbard Science Forum The Svalbard Science Forum (SSF) was established in 1998 to increase cooperation and coordination within Svalbard research SSF promotes open sharing of data and reduction of the environmental impact of research activities in the archipelago All research communities Longyearbyen Ny-Aringlesund Barentsburg and Hornsund are represented in SSF NySMAC represents the Ny-Aringlesund research community in the Forum The Research Council of Norway (RCN) serves as Chair of the SSF and is responsible for administering the permanent secretariat in Longyearbyen

Box 1NySMAC members and observers by April 2019

Members gt Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) Germany gt Andoslashya Space Center (ASC) Norway gt Chinese Arctic and Antarctic Administration (CAA) China gt Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) Italy gt GFZ German Research Centre for Geoscience (GFZ) Germany gt Institut Polaire Francais Paul Emile Victor (IPEV) France gt Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI) South Korea gt National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) India

gt National Institute of Polar Research (NIPR) Japan gt Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) UK gt Northern Research Institute Tromsoslash (NORUT) Norway gt Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU) Norway gt Norwegian Mapping Authority (NMA) Norway gt Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI) Norway gt Stockholm University (SU) Sweden gt The University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS) Norway gt University of Groningen (UoG) The Netherlands gt University of Tromsoslash (UiT) Norway

Observers gt Kings Bay AS (KB) Norway gt The Research Council of Norway (RCN) Norway gt Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System (SIOS) gt Svalbard Science Forum (SSF) Norway

Box 2Research in Svalbard (RiS) Portal The Research in Svalbard (RiS) Portal is the essential tool for researchers the Governor of Svalbard Kings Bay AS SSF NPI and others when it comes to information about research in Svalbard The portal facilitates finding new partners for collaboration and for coordinating fieldwork and logistics Hence RiS is a tool for thematic cooperation and logistics coordination for those carrying out research fieldwork and monitoring in Svalbard By using this open-access portal users gain information about projects and the participating researchers and institutions RiS also offers an overview of the fieldwork activity and of publications and metadata It is mandatory to register all research projects with activity in Ny-Aringlesund in RiS In addition RiS is a one-step portal and contains Kings Bay ASs booking module for ordering services in Ny-Aringlesund (travel lodging and use of infrastructure) as well as the Governors module for permit applications and reporting The portal is operated by the SSF Secretariat and is owned by the RCN To ensure that this portal remains an essential tool for research coordination overview and information the portal will be developed further

1514

4 World-class science

Well-developed research infrastructure an international research environment and extensive international research activity provides a unique environment for cooperation in Ny-Aringlesund The Research Station further provides a very comprehensive observing system for multidisciplinary research This combined with extraordinary accessibility and location enables the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station to be an important supplier of globally significant science

41 Scientific priority areas Research and monitoring activities in Ny-Aringlesund are to be within the natural sciences and should use the unique infra-structure and field possibilities that the area offers The area around Ny-Aringlesund is a limited resource and several research and monitoring activities are dependent on pristine condi-tions The historic environment is unique and an important cultural heritage site on Svalbard Cultural heritage research in Svalbard is therefore welcome in Ny-Aringlesund

Research in Ny-Aringlesund comprises the activities of various institutional national and international programmes Substantial portions of these activities are related and complementary To release its full potential four flagship programmes were established in the period 2009-2011 which in combination constitute most of the research and monitoring in Ny-Aringlesund The established flagship programmes are atmospheric research terrestrial ecosystems the Kongsfjorden system and glaciology research (see Box 3 for more information)

Zeppelin Observatory Photo Ove Hermansen NILU

Box 3Flagship programmes

The combination of a northern location a coastal setting a heterogenous landscape and relatively easy access has provided a unique environment for long-term research and time-series observations and makes Ny-Aringlesund a key location for research and environmental monitoring in the High Arctic

The research and monitoring activity in Ny-Aringlesund is organized in four broad and dynamic flagship programmes with extensive cross-disciplinary and cross-flagship collaboration The flagship programmes have regular meetings and are open to all scientists who are either actively engaged in studies in the area or who wish to develop new insights based on monitoring and research in the area

Further the flagship programmes function as arenas for contact coordination and cooperation in science

The Atmosphere Flagship focuses on measurements from the surface up to the upper atmosphere utilizing a wide array of different techniques and instruments The Kongsfjorden system ndash a high Arctic marine environment which is often influenced by influx of warmer Atlantic waters and thus highly sensitive to climate change in the Arctic ndash is the main scope of The Kongsfjorden system Flagship The Terrestrial Ecology Flagship brings together all studies on plant animals soil permafrost and lakes and coordinates field manipulations and study sites The Glaciology Flagship studies the cryosphere around Ny-Aringlesund especially fast-flowing surge type polythermal and calving glaciers

1716

42 Research quality High-quality research is conducted in Ny-Aringlesund and there is potential to increase the impact of this research even further Studies done by NIFU6 shows that Svalbard articles have been less cited than polar research generally (10-20 percent) NIFU reports have shown that publications with international col-laboration were cited more than the rest Citation rates vary somewhat by discipline but it appears that Svalbard articles including Ny-Aringlesund-based research are published in journals with lower citation rates than the journals most used to publish polar research in general Citation rates do not capture all aspects of quality however the NIFU findings suggest potential for improvement

The results of NIFUs studies suggest that measures to increase international cooperation and improve coordination of research in Svalbard may result in higher quality research outputs Research carried out in Ny-Aringlesund should strive to be placed in a pan-Arctic or global context and research results should be published in high-impact peer-reviewed journals It is important to exploit the diversity of Ny-Aringlesunds research communities further To improve dissemination of research activity the Research Station should produce a common annual report

The research institutions present in Ny-Aringlesund are expected to have high research ambitions and pursue international cooperation when this is beneficial To optimally exploit the unique research opportunities and develop the Research Station into an even better platform for high-quality research and long-term monitoring researchers are expected to take responsibility to encourage that

gt research projects are quality-assured prior to start-up and then maintain high professional standards

gt researchers collaborate with the best international partners in Ny-Aringlesund and elsewhere to enhance scientific quality

6 The term Ny-Aringlesund Research Station covers all research activity based in Ny-Aringlesund and the Kongsfjorden area

gt results are published in English in open internationally peer-reviewed journals

gt research is placed whenever possible in a wide context at the pan-Arctic or global level

Action point

gt the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station should present its ongoing scientific contributions in an annual report highlighting research results including a list of publications contribution to international networks and important research campaigns

The flagship programmes are networks that bring together scientists working in Ny-Aringlesund to enhance holistic approaches through long-term observations process under-standing and modelling The flagship programmes are led by a scientific committee with a Chair and a Co-chair Scientists contributing to the flagships are expected to further develop the science and work together to identify areas where addi-tional effort is needed They are also expected to take advan-tage of opportunities for synergies arising from the diversity of the international community and its many research dis- ciplines including cross-flagship activity

Ny-Aringlesund is a central reference station with important long-term climate and environment data series NySMAC and SSF have highlighted the potential and opportunities to develop an integrated monitoring programme for Ny-Aringlesund this should be developed further Key elements of this programme would be data accessibility and the use of data in research

Conditions for research in Ny-Aringlesund

gt Research is to be within the natural sciences5

gt Research is to make use of the arearsquos distinctive characteristics In general research that can significantly benefit from being done in Ny-Aringlesund should be prioritized

gt Research is to take environmental concerns into account and be within the Land-use plan and the Svalbard Environmental Protection Act

5 Exception for Culture heritage research

The actors are encouraged to

gt make sure that interference and overlap with other activities is avoided whenever possible

gt become familiar with and participate in the thematic flagship programmes

gt maintain long-time series and share data

gt ensure that all new projects identify themselves by registering their projects in the RiS-portal

gt discuss activities in NySMAC

Action points

gt Integrated monitoring programmes should be developed as a cooperation between institutions with monitoring activities

gt Research and research infrastructure priorities should be discussed in the flagship programmes and gap-analysis should be considered

gt Further development of the flagship programmes should be secured

Karin Springer University of Bremen Photo Kings Bay AS

1918

Phot

o G

eir W

ing

Gab

riel

sen

N

PI

2120

Courses should not be a dominant activity in Ny-Aringlesund UNIS is a unique centre for university-level study and research in Svalbard Ny-Aringlesund is an important location for some of their course activities and courses based at the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS) will be given priority in Ny-Aringlesund

In order to have a good overview and secure coordination and transparency an overall assessment of the needs and desires for teaching activities will be required It may be appropriate to impose deadlines for submitting requests All course activity requests must include a reason why the course in question must be held in Ny-Aringlesund

SSF allocates funding for fieldwork in Svalbard in which the main priority is to support MSc students PhD students and researchers not currently established in Svalbard This grant-ing programme recruits the new generation of young scientist and facilitates the opportunity to conduct fieldwork in Svalbard (Box 4)

Action points

gt Recruitment in polar research by promoting involvement of MSc and PhD students in research projects should be encouraged

gt RCN will continue to support field activity for MSc students and PhD students through Arctic Field Grants

gt Develop procedures for facilitating course activities at MSc and PhD levels

43 Education There is a need for recruitment in polar research both in Norway and internationally Ny-Aringlesund is a unique learning site with access to infrastructure field locations and an important international research environment Ny-Aringlesund should contribute to the recruitment of a new generation of polar researchers by hosting masters students and doctoral fellowship-holders in connection with research projects

Courses are welcome in Ny-Aringlesund as long as the following criteria are met

gt They are targeted for MSc andor PhD (or similar level) education

gt The courses will use research infrastructure or unique field opportunities available on-site

gt They are within natural science disciplines

gt There is capacity at the station

gt Sufficient consideration to the cultural-historical attributes and natural environment are taken into account

Box 4Arctic Field Grant (AFG)

The Arctic Field Grant (AFG) has been awarded to more than 1600 researchers master and PhD students since 1953 The grant has been managed by the RCN since 2011 and has since that time allocated 22 million NOK to 435 projects including 148 PhD and 225 MSc students

Some facts about AFG gt 3 of 10 recipients are now pursuing a career in polar science because of AFG

gt 4 of 10 projects were conducted in Ny-Aringlesund

gt 5 of 10 projects resulted in a peer reviewed paper

gt 6 of 10 applications were successful

gt 8 of 10 recipients are MSc or PhD students

gt 9 of 10 former recipients and supervisors said AFG helps with recruitment of young scientists into polar research

Phot

o S

teve

Cou

lson

U

NIS

2322

5 Sustainable research production

The present scope of research activity in Ny-Aringlesund makes it necessary to strengthen the interaction cooperation and coordination of research activities to ensure sustainability Sustainable research production stimulates new innovative ideas and gives the opportunity to do basic research Further sustainable research refers to activity that has low environmental impact promotes effectiveness through optimal use of data avoids extensive overlap and makes the best possible use of the arearsquos distinctive character

51 Coordination of research activity Various forums for logistical and practical research coordina-tion in Ny-Aringlesund have been established The area has exten-sive research infrastructure and a long tradition of research cooperation NPI will facilitate day-to-day coordination of activity through a weekly meeting with representatives from all key actors present in Ny-Aringlesund

NySMAC contributes to coordination of the research activities in Ny-Aringlesund The committee has an essential role in developing cooperation between the institutions present in Ny-Aringlesund It also acts as an advisory body regarding cooper-ation and priorities to the research actors with ongoing or planned projects in the area

Kings Bay AS serves as the provider of research logistics and it develops and maintains research infrastructure for common use

The member-based consortium SIOS has a significant role regarding instrumentation and infrastructure in Ny-Aringlesund SIOS has a coordinating role in the optimization of observa-tion of earth system science from research infrastructure located in Ny-Aringlesund

SSF acts as a coordinating body for all research activity on Svalbard and will continue to contribute to and stimulate enhanced cooperation and collaboration between the four research communities Longyearbyen Ny-Aringlesund Barentsburg and Hornsund

Close cooperation between all the above-mentioned bodies is essential for the further development of the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

52 International cooperation The unique international community present in Ny-Aringlesund has a history of extensive cooperation which has been essen-tial to enhance quality in polar research There is however potential for further utilization of the extensive infrastructure that is established in Svalbard International cooperation and exchange are a prerequisite for maintaining a creative innova-tive and world-class scientific environment in Ny-Aringlesund

Promotion of cooperation between the research communities in Ny-Aringlesund Longyearbyen Hornsund and Barentsburg as well as between Svalbard and other research communities around the world is of great importance to enhance know- ledge on global issues

Phot

o M

aria

nn

e Jo

han

sen

R

CN

2524

53 Sharing and development of research infrastructure

Coordination of infrastructure and logistical services is key to better utilisation of research infrastructure In Ny-Aringlesund the area available for new buildings is limited It is therefore

crucial that existing buildings are used efficiently The need of efficient use of existing buildings has resulted in joint services provided at the Marine Laboratory Zeppelin Observatory Climate Change Tower Gruvebadet Vaskeri Lab MS Teisten Light Sensitive Cabin and the newly established Terrestrial Laboratory (see Box 5)

SSF stimulates cooperation and collaborative efforts between all research communities in Svalbard and within all research disciplines SSF facilitates the RiS-portal (Box 2) for sharing information regarding research projects being conducted any-where in Svalbard including the four permanently manned research communities in Svalbard (Ny-Aringlesund Longyearbyen Barentsburg and Hornsund) The RiS-portal is a unique tool for information exchange and for enhancing cooperation and coordination

SSF administers the Svalbard Strategic Grant (SSG) pro-gramme This is a seed money program aimed at advancing coordination collaboration and data sharing between researchers working with Svalbard research as well as increas-ing cooperation and coordination between the four research communities in Svalbard

A Svalbard Science Conference ndash with the goal of stimulating and inspiring cooperation in and advancement of the research conducted in Svalbard was held for the first time in 2017 This conference gathered scientists experts and relevant key players needed to put Svalbard research in a global context The success of this first meeting has resulted in a plan to have this conference continue on a biennial basis This international conference strives to increase connectivity broadening the research network and bringing Svalbard research into a pan-Arctic setting

Action points

gt RCN in cooperation with SSF will continue and further develop SSG and RiS to support cooperation and coordination of research in Svalbard

gt RCN and SSF will establish the Svalbard Science Conference in cooperation with NPI and other relevant partners as an important arena for cooperation and dissemination of research in Svalbard

Box 5Shared infrastructure The Marine Laboratory is an experimental laboratory for research in marine ecology physiology and biochemistry as well as oceanography marine geology and ice physics The Marine Lab is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS and booking is done through the RiS-portal

The Zeppelin Observatory is an observatory for atmospheric research and monitoring The Observatory is part of a network of very important global observatories for atmospheric measurements and part of several regional and global monitoring networks The observatory is located at the mountain Zeppelinfjellet 475 masl The Zeppelin Observatory is owned and managed by the Norwegian Polar Institute

The Climate Change Tower (CCT) with a height of 32 m hosts many instruments mainly to investigate energy budgets in the Earth surface layer boundary layer dynamics and exchange fluxes at the atmospherendashland interface CCT is owned and managed by the CNR

Gruvebadet is an atmospheric laboratory and observatory located 1 km from the centre of Ny-Aringlesund The building currently hosts instrument for atmosphere and aerosol measurements Gruvebadet is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS

The Vaskeri Lab is an older building that consists of several rooms some of which can be used for common labs fex for environmental or terrestrial laboratory work and is perfect for work with soil sediments animal sampling etc Vaskeri Lab is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS

MS Teisten is a small work boat 31 feet long and equipped to do smaller scientific operations and surveys in Kongsfjorden and Krossfjorden MS Teisten is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS and booking can be done through RiS

The Terrestrial Laboratory (Veksthuset) is located in the middle of town and includes brand new dry and semi-wet lab facilities The labs are expected to be ready for use from summer 2019 The lab is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS

The Light Sensitive Cabin is located 25 km from the centre of Ny-Aringlesund and is specially designed to host instruments that require minimal light contamination The cabin has four domes on the roof is connected to high-speed internet and is insulated The light sensitive cabin is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS

In addition there are some smaller observatoriesplatforms run by various institutions located at the various buildings in Ny-Aringlesund that host instruments for long-term monitoring Several of these are available for other users by request to the owner

Terrestrial Laboratory Photo Susanne Wasa Hagen Kings Bay AS

2726

55 Making information available Making information available to others is essential to estab-lish communication among on-going projects and initiatives The RiS-portal is the important tool to register projects and to find information about activities in Ny-Aringlesund

The flagship programmes have created meeting places for the largest disciplines in Ny-Aringlesund that are important for network building and increasing collaboration

NySMAC has established an internal Project Information and Discussion (PID) forum to share information regarding planned activities These collaborative tools are used by NySMAC in between the semi-annual meetings

To improve dissemination of information relevant to all researchers planning or engaged in activities in Ny-Aringlesund NPI and Kings Bay AS will develop a dedicated and comprehensive web site for Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

Researchers and institutes are expected to

gt register Svalbard-based research projects in RiS and keep the information updated

gt become familiar with other relevant activities by using RiS

Action points

gt SSF will further develop RiS and continue their efforts to ensure that RiS is used by researchers as an attractive portal for information regarding research and opportunities for thematic collaboration and logistics cooperation in Svalbard

gt Development of a dedicated and comprehensive web site for Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

Developing shared thematic laboratories will improve the utilisation of the buildings in Ny-Aringlesund Being an attractive provider of research infrastructure requires effective profes-sional operations efficient utilisation and a realistic cost level For this approach to succeed it is important to develop the existing buildings in accordance with research needs and to facilitate professional joint services that researchers find attractive Ny-Aringlesunds scientific community should take part in the decisions regarding development of new joint services to ensure that they match research needs Norwayrsquos long-term ambition is to further develop thematically-based research infrastructure in Ny-Aringlesund

SIOS is an important tool for sharing and collaborating in the utilisation of Svalbardrsquos infrastructure Scientists conducting earth system research in Ny-Aringlesund are encouraged to become members of SIOS SIOS offers opportunities to access the memberrsquos infrastructure and data through regular strategic calls Access will be based on scientific excellence Applica-tions for access should be made through SIOS decisions will be made in collaboration with the member responsible for the specific infrastructure Research infrastructure includes physical spaces such as laboratories as well as scientific instruments samples data and e-infrastructure

The actors are encouraged to

gt coordinate their activities in Ny-Aringlesund with those of other institutions to optimize research infrastructure utilisation

gt make infrastructure available to others

gt become members of SIOS

gt collaborate and coordinate use of logistics services

Action points

gt Draw up a ldquogap- analysisrdquo for the development of new infrastructure

gt Create a cost-efficiency model for Ny-Aringlesund that includes development of joint research infrastructure

54 Radio silence Ny-Aringlesund is a radio silent area with the long-term goal to further minimize the emissions of electromagnetic (radio wave) pollution Some important sensing-instruments like the VLBI radio telescopes at Norways geodetic laboratory need radio silence to function optimally The General authorisations regulations in Norway (fribruksforskriften) which allows use without permit for common equipment is not valid for the frequencies 2 GHzndash32 GHz within a 20 km radius from Ny-Aringlesund Technology using the 2 GHzndash32 GHz frequency range requires application to the National Communications Authority (Nkom)

Upholding a pristine environment also includes avoiding electro- magnetic pollution Ny-Aringlesund is a unique location world-wide in having radio silence while also providing the infra-structure and logistical support necessary for large-scale research installations Consequently maintaining radio silence is a key priority and efforts to develop the infrastructure to conduct necessary measurements outside the protected frequency band should be intensified For research that requires use of the radio frequency range in question and that cannot be conducted elsewhere in Svalbard it is neces-sary to have overview of frequencies in use in Ny-Aringlesund The radio silence working group established under NySMAC is important in this context

Action points

gt All actors have to contribute to maintain radio silence and prioritise research that does not interfere with the radio silence

gt Develop good procedures and priorities for the use of technology with active transmitters

Norwegian Mapping Authoritys new geodetic observatory Photo Helge Tore Markussen NPI

2928

6 Open access to data

7 Report No 30 (2008ndash2009) to the Storting a white paper on research policy Meld St 18 (2012ndash2013) the white paper Long-term perspectives ndash knowledge provides opportunity Meld St 27 (2015ndash2016) a white paper on Norwayrsquos digital agenda the Ministry of Education and Researchrsquos National strategy on access to and sharing of research data (2017) the EU Commissionrsquos decision to make open data access the norm in the Horizon 2020 programme its ldquoGuidelines on FAIR Data Management in Horizon 2020rdquo its publication ldquoOpen Innovation Open Science Open to the world ndash a vision for Europerdquo and the European Research Area and Innovation Committeersquos Opinion on Open Research Data etc

8 Ministry of Education and Researchrsquos National strategy on access to and sharing of research data (2017) 9 httpswwwforce11orggroupfairgroupfairprinciples10 SIOS Data Policy

Open access to data makes it easier to validate and assess findings as well as to use data in new ways Combining data facilitates more interdisciplinary research Open access to research data reduces duplication of effort increases efficiency and reduces environmental impacts Broader access to research data will strengthen the quality of research in Svalbard

Norwegian and international research policies7 emphasises that research data should be made openly accessible when no legitimate considerations prevent its accessibility or ldquoas open as possible as closed as necessaryrdquo8 This point is made in the Strategy for research and higher education in Svalbard in which the following Norwegian Government objective is expressed ldquoResearch communities active in Svalbard shall take the lead in moving towards shared research data and infrastructurerdquo

Strong metadata ie information about collection delinea-tion definition and other factors relevant for further use is a prerequisite for being able to find and interpret data It is therefore important that data producers are meticulous about standardising the methods and sharing metadata in a way that make data easier to use ideally in line with the FAIR- principles9 FAIR stands for findable accessible interoperable and reusable The concept interoperable entails that both data and metadata must be machine-readable and that a consist-ent terminology is used

The SIOS consortium has developed a data policy that is con-sistent with international principles including requirements for the availability and quality of metadata10 The members of SIOS which includes research conducted in Ny-Aringlesund and Svalbard will be obliged to comply with these principles Standardised metadata requirements should be established for all research in Ny-Aringlesund

Phot

o S

had

eacute B

arka

Mar

tin

s

3130

4 World-class science

Well-developed research infrastructure an international research environment and extensive international research activity provides a unique environment for cooperation in Ny-Aringlesund The Research Station further provides a very comprehensive observing system for multidisciplinary research This combined with extraordinary accessibility and location enables the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station to be an important supplier of globally significant science

41 Scientific priority areas Research and monitoring activities in Ny-Aringlesund are to be within the natural sciences and should use the unique infra-structure and field possibilities that the area offers The area around Ny-Aringlesund is a limited resource and several research and monitoring activities are dependent on pristine condi-tions The historic environment is unique and an important cultural heritage site on Svalbard Cultural heritage research in Svalbard is therefore welcome in Ny-Aringlesund

Research in Ny-Aringlesund comprises the activities of various institutional national and international programmes Substantial portions of these activities are related and complementary To release its full potential four flagship programmes were established in the period 2009-2011 which in combination constitute most of the research and monitoring in Ny-Aringlesund The established flagship programmes are atmospheric research terrestrial ecosystems the Kongsfjorden system and glaciology research (see Box 3 for more information)

Zeppelin Observatory Photo Ove Hermansen NILU

Box 3Flagship programmes

The combination of a northern location a coastal setting a heterogenous landscape and relatively easy access has provided a unique environment for long-term research and time-series observations and makes Ny-Aringlesund a key location for research and environmental monitoring in the High Arctic

The research and monitoring activity in Ny-Aringlesund is organized in four broad and dynamic flagship programmes with extensive cross-disciplinary and cross-flagship collaboration The flagship programmes have regular meetings and are open to all scientists who are either actively engaged in studies in the area or who wish to develop new insights based on monitoring and research in the area

Further the flagship programmes function as arenas for contact coordination and cooperation in science

The Atmosphere Flagship focuses on measurements from the surface up to the upper atmosphere utilizing a wide array of different techniques and instruments The Kongsfjorden system ndash a high Arctic marine environment which is often influenced by influx of warmer Atlantic waters and thus highly sensitive to climate change in the Arctic ndash is the main scope of The Kongsfjorden system Flagship The Terrestrial Ecology Flagship brings together all studies on plant animals soil permafrost and lakes and coordinates field manipulations and study sites The Glaciology Flagship studies the cryosphere around Ny-Aringlesund especially fast-flowing surge type polythermal and calving glaciers

1716

42 Research quality High-quality research is conducted in Ny-Aringlesund and there is potential to increase the impact of this research even further Studies done by NIFU6 shows that Svalbard articles have been less cited than polar research generally (10-20 percent) NIFU reports have shown that publications with international col-laboration were cited more than the rest Citation rates vary somewhat by discipline but it appears that Svalbard articles including Ny-Aringlesund-based research are published in journals with lower citation rates than the journals most used to publish polar research in general Citation rates do not capture all aspects of quality however the NIFU findings suggest potential for improvement

The results of NIFUs studies suggest that measures to increase international cooperation and improve coordination of research in Svalbard may result in higher quality research outputs Research carried out in Ny-Aringlesund should strive to be placed in a pan-Arctic or global context and research results should be published in high-impact peer-reviewed journals It is important to exploit the diversity of Ny-Aringlesunds research communities further To improve dissemination of research activity the Research Station should produce a common annual report

The research institutions present in Ny-Aringlesund are expected to have high research ambitions and pursue international cooperation when this is beneficial To optimally exploit the unique research opportunities and develop the Research Station into an even better platform for high-quality research and long-term monitoring researchers are expected to take responsibility to encourage that

gt research projects are quality-assured prior to start-up and then maintain high professional standards

gt researchers collaborate with the best international partners in Ny-Aringlesund and elsewhere to enhance scientific quality

6 The term Ny-Aringlesund Research Station covers all research activity based in Ny-Aringlesund and the Kongsfjorden area

gt results are published in English in open internationally peer-reviewed journals

gt research is placed whenever possible in a wide context at the pan-Arctic or global level

Action point

gt the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station should present its ongoing scientific contributions in an annual report highlighting research results including a list of publications contribution to international networks and important research campaigns

The flagship programmes are networks that bring together scientists working in Ny-Aringlesund to enhance holistic approaches through long-term observations process under-standing and modelling The flagship programmes are led by a scientific committee with a Chair and a Co-chair Scientists contributing to the flagships are expected to further develop the science and work together to identify areas where addi-tional effort is needed They are also expected to take advan-tage of opportunities for synergies arising from the diversity of the international community and its many research dis- ciplines including cross-flagship activity

Ny-Aringlesund is a central reference station with important long-term climate and environment data series NySMAC and SSF have highlighted the potential and opportunities to develop an integrated monitoring programme for Ny-Aringlesund this should be developed further Key elements of this programme would be data accessibility and the use of data in research

Conditions for research in Ny-Aringlesund

gt Research is to be within the natural sciences5

gt Research is to make use of the arearsquos distinctive characteristics In general research that can significantly benefit from being done in Ny-Aringlesund should be prioritized

gt Research is to take environmental concerns into account and be within the Land-use plan and the Svalbard Environmental Protection Act

5 Exception for Culture heritage research

The actors are encouraged to

gt make sure that interference and overlap with other activities is avoided whenever possible

gt become familiar with and participate in the thematic flagship programmes

gt maintain long-time series and share data

gt ensure that all new projects identify themselves by registering their projects in the RiS-portal

gt discuss activities in NySMAC

Action points

gt Integrated monitoring programmes should be developed as a cooperation between institutions with monitoring activities

gt Research and research infrastructure priorities should be discussed in the flagship programmes and gap-analysis should be considered

gt Further development of the flagship programmes should be secured

Karin Springer University of Bremen Photo Kings Bay AS

1918

Phot

o G

eir W

ing

Gab

riel

sen

N

PI

2120

Courses should not be a dominant activity in Ny-Aringlesund UNIS is a unique centre for university-level study and research in Svalbard Ny-Aringlesund is an important location for some of their course activities and courses based at the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS) will be given priority in Ny-Aringlesund

In order to have a good overview and secure coordination and transparency an overall assessment of the needs and desires for teaching activities will be required It may be appropriate to impose deadlines for submitting requests All course activity requests must include a reason why the course in question must be held in Ny-Aringlesund

SSF allocates funding for fieldwork in Svalbard in which the main priority is to support MSc students PhD students and researchers not currently established in Svalbard This grant-ing programme recruits the new generation of young scientist and facilitates the opportunity to conduct fieldwork in Svalbard (Box 4)

Action points

gt Recruitment in polar research by promoting involvement of MSc and PhD students in research projects should be encouraged

gt RCN will continue to support field activity for MSc students and PhD students through Arctic Field Grants

gt Develop procedures for facilitating course activities at MSc and PhD levels

43 Education There is a need for recruitment in polar research both in Norway and internationally Ny-Aringlesund is a unique learning site with access to infrastructure field locations and an important international research environment Ny-Aringlesund should contribute to the recruitment of a new generation of polar researchers by hosting masters students and doctoral fellowship-holders in connection with research projects

Courses are welcome in Ny-Aringlesund as long as the following criteria are met

gt They are targeted for MSc andor PhD (or similar level) education

gt The courses will use research infrastructure or unique field opportunities available on-site

gt They are within natural science disciplines

gt There is capacity at the station

gt Sufficient consideration to the cultural-historical attributes and natural environment are taken into account

Box 4Arctic Field Grant (AFG)

The Arctic Field Grant (AFG) has been awarded to more than 1600 researchers master and PhD students since 1953 The grant has been managed by the RCN since 2011 and has since that time allocated 22 million NOK to 435 projects including 148 PhD and 225 MSc students

Some facts about AFG gt 3 of 10 recipients are now pursuing a career in polar science because of AFG

gt 4 of 10 projects were conducted in Ny-Aringlesund

gt 5 of 10 projects resulted in a peer reviewed paper

gt 6 of 10 applications were successful

gt 8 of 10 recipients are MSc or PhD students

gt 9 of 10 former recipients and supervisors said AFG helps with recruitment of young scientists into polar research

Phot

o S

teve

Cou

lson

U

NIS

2322

5 Sustainable research production

The present scope of research activity in Ny-Aringlesund makes it necessary to strengthen the interaction cooperation and coordination of research activities to ensure sustainability Sustainable research production stimulates new innovative ideas and gives the opportunity to do basic research Further sustainable research refers to activity that has low environmental impact promotes effectiveness through optimal use of data avoids extensive overlap and makes the best possible use of the arearsquos distinctive character

51 Coordination of research activity Various forums for logistical and practical research coordina-tion in Ny-Aringlesund have been established The area has exten-sive research infrastructure and a long tradition of research cooperation NPI will facilitate day-to-day coordination of activity through a weekly meeting with representatives from all key actors present in Ny-Aringlesund

NySMAC contributes to coordination of the research activities in Ny-Aringlesund The committee has an essential role in developing cooperation between the institutions present in Ny-Aringlesund It also acts as an advisory body regarding cooper-ation and priorities to the research actors with ongoing or planned projects in the area

Kings Bay AS serves as the provider of research logistics and it develops and maintains research infrastructure for common use

The member-based consortium SIOS has a significant role regarding instrumentation and infrastructure in Ny-Aringlesund SIOS has a coordinating role in the optimization of observa-tion of earth system science from research infrastructure located in Ny-Aringlesund

SSF acts as a coordinating body for all research activity on Svalbard and will continue to contribute to and stimulate enhanced cooperation and collaboration between the four research communities Longyearbyen Ny-Aringlesund Barentsburg and Hornsund

Close cooperation between all the above-mentioned bodies is essential for the further development of the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

52 International cooperation The unique international community present in Ny-Aringlesund has a history of extensive cooperation which has been essen-tial to enhance quality in polar research There is however potential for further utilization of the extensive infrastructure that is established in Svalbard International cooperation and exchange are a prerequisite for maintaining a creative innova-tive and world-class scientific environment in Ny-Aringlesund

Promotion of cooperation between the research communities in Ny-Aringlesund Longyearbyen Hornsund and Barentsburg as well as between Svalbard and other research communities around the world is of great importance to enhance know- ledge on global issues

Phot

o M

aria

nn

e Jo

han

sen

R

CN

2524

53 Sharing and development of research infrastructure

Coordination of infrastructure and logistical services is key to better utilisation of research infrastructure In Ny-Aringlesund the area available for new buildings is limited It is therefore

crucial that existing buildings are used efficiently The need of efficient use of existing buildings has resulted in joint services provided at the Marine Laboratory Zeppelin Observatory Climate Change Tower Gruvebadet Vaskeri Lab MS Teisten Light Sensitive Cabin and the newly established Terrestrial Laboratory (see Box 5)

SSF stimulates cooperation and collaborative efforts between all research communities in Svalbard and within all research disciplines SSF facilitates the RiS-portal (Box 2) for sharing information regarding research projects being conducted any-where in Svalbard including the four permanently manned research communities in Svalbard (Ny-Aringlesund Longyearbyen Barentsburg and Hornsund) The RiS-portal is a unique tool for information exchange and for enhancing cooperation and coordination

SSF administers the Svalbard Strategic Grant (SSG) pro-gramme This is a seed money program aimed at advancing coordination collaboration and data sharing between researchers working with Svalbard research as well as increas-ing cooperation and coordination between the four research communities in Svalbard

A Svalbard Science Conference ndash with the goal of stimulating and inspiring cooperation in and advancement of the research conducted in Svalbard was held for the first time in 2017 This conference gathered scientists experts and relevant key players needed to put Svalbard research in a global context The success of this first meeting has resulted in a plan to have this conference continue on a biennial basis This international conference strives to increase connectivity broadening the research network and bringing Svalbard research into a pan-Arctic setting

Action points

gt RCN in cooperation with SSF will continue and further develop SSG and RiS to support cooperation and coordination of research in Svalbard

gt RCN and SSF will establish the Svalbard Science Conference in cooperation with NPI and other relevant partners as an important arena for cooperation and dissemination of research in Svalbard

Box 5Shared infrastructure The Marine Laboratory is an experimental laboratory for research in marine ecology physiology and biochemistry as well as oceanography marine geology and ice physics The Marine Lab is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS and booking is done through the RiS-portal

The Zeppelin Observatory is an observatory for atmospheric research and monitoring The Observatory is part of a network of very important global observatories for atmospheric measurements and part of several regional and global monitoring networks The observatory is located at the mountain Zeppelinfjellet 475 masl The Zeppelin Observatory is owned and managed by the Norwegian Polar Institute

The Climate Change Tower (CCT) with a height of 32 m hosts many instruments mainly to investigate energy budgets in the Earth surface layer boundary layer dynamics and exchange fluxes at the atmospherendashland interface CCT is owned and managed by the CNR

Gruvebadet is an atmospheric laboratory and observatory located 1 km from the centre of Ny-Aringlesund The building currently hosts instrument for atmosphere and aerosol measurements Gruvebadet is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS

The Vaskeri Lab is an older building that consists of several rooms some of which can be used for common labs fex for environmental or terrestrial laboratory work and is perfect for work with soil sediments animal sampling etc Vaskeri Lab is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS

MS Teisten is a small work boat 31 feet long and equipped to do smaller scientific operations and surveys in Kongsfjorden and Krossfjorden MS Teisten is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS and booking can be done through RiS

The Terrestrial Laboratory (Veksthuset) is located in the middle of town and includes brand new dry and semi-wet lab facilities The labs are expected to be ready for use from summer 2019 The lab is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS

The Light Sensitive Cabin is located 25 km from the centre of Ny-Aringlesund and is specially designed to host instruments that require minimal light contamination The cabin has four domes on the roof is connected to high-speed internet and is insulated The light sensitive cabin is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS

In addition there are some smaller observatoriesplatforms run by various institutions located at the various buildings in Ny-Aringlesund that host instruments for long-term monitoring Several of these are available for other users by request to the owner

Terrestrial Laboratory Photo Susanne Wasa Hagen Kings Bay AS

2726

55 Making information available Making information available to others is essential to estab-lish communication among on-going projects and initiatives The RiS-portal is the important tool to register projects and to find information about activities in Ny-Aringlesund

The flagship programmes have created meeting places for the largest disciplines in Ny-Aringlesund that are important for network building and increasing collaboration

NySMAC has established an internal Project Information and Discussion (PID) forum to share information regarding planned activities These collaborative tools are used by NySMAC in between the semi-annual meetings

To improve dissemination of information relevant to all researchers planning or engaged in activities in Ny-Aringlesund NPI and Kings Bay AS will develop a dedicated and comprehensive web site for Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

Researchers and institutes are expected to

gt register Svalbard-based research projects in RiS and keep the information updated

gt become familiar with other relevant activities by using RiS

Action points

gt SSF will further develop RiS and continue their efforts to ensure that RiS is used by researchers as an attractive portal for information regarding research and opportunities for thematic collaboration and logistics cooperation in Svalbard

gt Development of a dedicated and comprehensive web site for Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

Developing shared thematic laboratories will improve the utilisation of the buildings in Ny-Aringlesund Being an attractive provider of research infrastructure requires effective profes-sional operations efficient utilisation and a realistic cost level For this approach to succeed it is important to develop the existing buildings in accordance with research needs and to facilitate professional joint services that researchers find attractive Ny-Aringlesunds scientific community should take part in the decisions regarding development of new joint services to ensure that they match research needs Norwayrsquos long-term ambition is to further develop thematically-based research infrastructure in Ny-Aringlesund

SIOS is an important tool for sharing and collaborating in the utilisation of Svalbardrsquos infrastructure Scientists conducting earth system research in Ny-Aringlesund are encouraged to become members of SIOS SIOS offers opportunities to access the memberrsquos infrastructure and data through regular strategic calls Access will be based on scientific excellence Applica-tions for access should be made through SIOS decisions will be made in collaboration with the member responsible for the specific infrastructure Research infrastructure includes physical spaces such as laboratories as well as scientific instruments samples data and e-infrastructure

The actors are encouraged to

gt coordinate their activities in Ny-Aringlesund with those of other institutions to optimize research infrastructure utilisation

gt make infrastructure available to others

gt become members of SIOS

gt collaborate and coordinate use of logistics services

Action points

gt Draw up a ldquogap- analysisrdquo for the development of new infrastructure

gt Create a cost-efficiency model for Ny-Aringlesund that includes development of joint research infrastructure

54 Radio silence Ny-Aringlesund is a radio silent area with the long-term goal to further minimize the emissions of electromagnetic (radio wave) pollution Some important sensing-instruments like the VLBI radio telescopes at Norways geodetic laboratory need radio silence to function optimally The General authorisations regulations in Norway (fribruksforskriften) which allows use without permit for common equipment is not valid for the frequencies 2 GHzndash32 GHz within a 20 km radius from Ny-Aringlesund Technology using the 2 GHzndash32 GHz frequency range requires application to the National Communications Authority (Nkom)

Upholding a pristine environment also includes avoiding electro- magnetic pollution Ny-Aringlesund is a unique location world-wide in having radio silence while also providing the infra-structure and logistical support necessary for large-scale research installations Consequently maintaining radio silence is a key priority and efforts to develop the infrastructure to conduct necessary measurements outside the protected frequency band should be intensified For research that requires use of the radio frequency range in question and that cannot be conducted elsewhere in Svalbard it is neces-sary to have overview of frequencies in use in Ny-Aringlesund The radio silence working group established under NySMAC is important in this context

Action points

gt All actors have to contribute to maintain radio silence and prioritise research that does not interfere with the radio silence

gt Develop good procedures and priorities for the use of technology with active transmitters

Norwegian Mapping Authoritys new geodetic observatory Photo Helge Tore Markussen NPI

2928

6 Open access to data

7 Report No 30 (2008ndash2009) to the Storting a white paper on research policy Meld St 18 (2012ndash2013) the white paper Long-term perspectives ndash knowledge provides opportunity Meld St 27 (2015ndash2016) a white paper on Norwayrsquos digital agenda the Ministry of Education and Researchrsquos National strategy on access to and sharing of research data (2017) the EU Commissionrsquos decision to make open data access the norm in the Horizon 2020 programme its ldquoGuidelines on FAIR Data Management in Horizon 2020rdquo its publication ldquoOpen Innovation Open Science Open to the world ndash a vision for Europerdquo and the European Research Area and Innovation Committeersquos Opinion on Open Research Data etc

8 Ministry of Education and Researchrsquos National strategy on access to and sharing of research data (2017) 9 httpswwwforce11orggroupfairgroupfairprinciples10 SIOS Data Policy

Open access to data makes it easier to validate and assess findings as well as to use data in new ways Combining data facilitates more interdisciplinary research Open access to research data reduces duplication of effort increases efficiency and reduces environmental impacts Broader access to research data will strengthen the quality of research in Svalbard

Norwegian and international research policies7 emphasises that research data should be made openly accessible when no legitimate considerations prevent its accessibility or ldquoas open as possible as closed as necessaryrdquo8 This point is made in the Strategy for research and higher education in Svalbard in which the following Norwegian Government objective is expressed ldquoResearch communities active in Svalbard shall take the lead in moving towards shared research data and infrastructurerdquo

Strong metadata ie information about collection delinea-tion definition and other factors relevant for further use is a prerequisite for being able to find and interpret data It is therefore important that data producers are meticulous about standardising the methods and sharing metadata in a way that make data easier to use ideally in line with the FAIR- principles9 FAIR stands for findable accessible interoperable and reusable The concept interoperable entails that both data and metadata must be machine-readable and that a consist-ent terminology is used

The SIOS consortium has developed a data policy that is con-sistent with international principles including requirements for the availability and quality of metadata10 The members of SIOS which includes research conducted in Ny-Aringlesund and Svalbard will be obliged to comply with these principles Standardised metadata requirements should be established for all research in Ny-Aringlesund

Phot

o S

had

eacute B

arka

Mar

tin

s

3130

42 Research quality High-quality research is conducted in Ny-Aringlesund and there is potential to increase the impact of this research even further Studies done by NIFU6 shows that Svalbard articles have been less cited than polar research generally (10-20 percent) NIFU reports have shown that publications with international col-laboration were cited more than the rest Citation rates vary somewhat by discipline but it appears that Svalbard articles including Ny-Aringlesund-based research are published in journals with lower citation rates than the journals most used to publish polar research in general Citation rates do not capture all aspects of quality however the NIFU findings suggest potential for improvement

The results of NIFUs studies suggest that measures to increase international cooperation and improve coordination of research in Svalbard may result in higher quality research outputs Research carried out in Ny-Aringlesund should strive to be placed in a pan-Arctic or global context and research results should be published in high-impact peer-reviewed journals It is important to exploit the diversity of Ny-Aringlesunds research communities further To improve dissemination of research activity the Research Station should produce a common annual report

The research institutions present in Ny-Aringlesund are expected to have high research ambitions and pursue international cooperation when this is beneficial To optimally exploit the unique research opportunities and develop the Research Station into an even better platform for high-quality research and long-term monitoring researchers are expected to take responsibility to encourage that

gt research projects are quality-assured prior to start-up and then maintain high professional standards

gt researchers collaborate with the best international partners in Ny-Aringlesund and elsewhere to enhance scientific quality

6 The term Ny-Aringlesund Research Station covers all research activity based in Ny-Aringlesund and the Kongsfjorden area

gt results are published in English in open internationally peer-reviewed journals

gt research is placed whenever possible in a wide context at the pan-Arctic or global level

Action point

gt the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station should present its ongoing scientific contributions in an annual report highlighting research results including a list of publications contribution to international networks and important research campaigns

The flagship programmes are networks that bring together scientists working in Ny-Aringlesund to enhance holistic approaches through long-term observations process under-standing and modelling The flagship programmes are led by a scientific committee with a Chair and a Co-chair Scientists contributing to the flagships are expected to further develop the science and work together to identify areas where addi-tional effort is needed They are also expected to take advan-tage of opportunities for synergies arising from the diversity of the international community and its many research dis- ciplines including cross-flagship activity

Ny-Aringlesund is a central reference station with important long-term climate and environment data series NySMAC and SSF have highlighted the potential and opportunities to develop an integrated monitoring programme for Ny-Aringlesund this should be developed further Key elements of this programme would be data accessibility and the use of data in research

Conditions for research in Ny-Aringlesund

gt Research is to be within the natural sciences5

gt Research is to make use of the arearsquos distinctive characteristics In general research that can significantly benefit from being done in Ny-Aringlesund should be prioritized

gt Research is to take environmental concerns into account and be within the Land-use plan and the Svalbard Environmental Protection Act

5 Exception for Culture heritage research

The actors are encouraged to

gt make sure that interference and overlap with other activities is avoided whenever possible

gt become familiar with and participate in the thematic flagship programmes

gt maintain long-time series and share data

gt ensure that all new projects identify themselves by registering their projects in the RiS-portal

gt discuss activities in NySMAC

Action points

gt Integrated monitoring programmes should be developed as a cooperation between institutions with monitoring activities

gt Research and research infrastructure priorities should be discussed in the flagship programmes and gap-analysis should be considered

gt Further development of the flagship programmes should be secured

Karin Springer University of Bremen Photo Kings Bay AS

1918

Phot

o G

eir W

ing

Gab

riel

sen

N

PI

2120

Courses should not be a dominant activity in Ny-Aringlesund UNIS is a unique centre for university-level study and research in Svalbard Ny-Aringlesund is an important location for some of their course activities and courses based at the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS) will be given priority in Ny-Aringlesund

In order to have a good overview and secure coordination and transparency an overall assessment of the needs and desires for teaching activities will be required It may be appropriate to impose deadlines for submitting requests All course activity requests must include a reason why the course in question must be held in Ny-Aringlesund

SSF allocates funding for fieldwork in Svalbard in which the main priority is to support MSc students PhD students and researchers not currently established in Svalbard This grant-ing programme recruits the new generation of young scientist and facilitates the opportunity to conduct fieldwork in Svalbard (Box 4)

Action points

gt Recruitment in polar research by promoting involvement of MSc and PhD students in research projects should be encouraged

gt RCN will continue to support field activity for MSc students and PhD students through Arctic Field Grants

gt Develop procedures for facilitating course activities at MSc and PhD levels

43 Education There is a need for recruitment in polar research both in Norway and internationally Ny-Aringlesund is a unique learning site with access to infrastructure field locations and an important international research environment Ny-Aringlesund should contribute to the recruitment of a new generation of polar researchers by hosting masters students and doctoral fellowship-holders in connection with research projects

Courses are welcome in Ny-Aringlesund as long as the following criteria are met

gt They are targeted for MSc andor PhD (or similar level) education

gt The courses will use research infrastructure or unique field opportunities available on-site

gt They are within natural science disciplines

gt There is capacity at the station

gt Sufficient consideration to the cultural-historical attributes and natural environment are taken into account

Box 4Arctic Field Grant (AFG)

The Arctic Field Grant (AFG) has been awarded to more than 1600 researchers master and PhD students since 1953 The grant has been managed by the RCN since 2011 and has since that time allocated 22 million NOK to 435 projects including 148 PhD and 225 MSc students

Some facts about AFG gt 3 of 10 recipients are now pursuing a career in polar science because of AFG

gt 4 of 10 projects were conducted in Ny-Aringlesund

gt 5 of 10 projects resulted in a peer reviewed paper

gt 6 of 10 applications were successful

gt 8 of 10 recipients are MSc or PhD students

gt 9 of 10 former recipients and supervisors said AFG helps with recruitment of young scientists into polar research

Phot

o S

teve

Cou

lson

U

NIS

2322

5 Sustainable research production

The present scope of research activity in Ny-Aringlesund makes it necessary to strengthen the interaction cooperation and coordination of research activities to ensure sustainability Sustainable research production stimulates new innovative ideas and gives the opportunity to do basic research Further sustainable research refers to activity that has low environmental impact promotes effectiveness through optimal use of data avoids extensive overlap and makes the best possible use of the arearsquos distinctive character

51 Coordination of research activity Various forums for logistical and practical research coordina-tion in Ny-Aringlesund have been established The area has exten-sive research infrastructure and a long tradition of research cooperation NPI will facilitate day-to-day coordination of activity through a weekly meeting with representatives from all key actors present in Ny-Aringlesund

NySMAC contributes to coordination of the research activities in Ny-Aringlesund The committee has an essential role in developing cooperation between the institutions present in Ny-Aringlesund It also acts as an advisory body regarding cooper-ation and priorities to the research actors with ongoing or planned projects in the area

Kings Bay AS serves as the provider of research logistics and it develops and maintains research infrastructure for common use

The member-based consortium SIOS has a significant role regarding instrumentation and infrastructure in Ny-Aringlesund SIOS has a coordinating role in the optimization of observa-tion of earth system science from research infrastructure located in Ny-Aringlesund

SSF acts as a coordinating body for all research activity on Svalbard and will continue to contribute to and stimulate enhanced cooperation and collaboration between the four research communities Longyearbyen Ny-Aringlesund Barentsburg and Hornsund

Close cooperation between all the above-mentioned bodies is essential for the further development of the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

52 International cooperation The unique international community present in Ny-Aringlesund has a history of extensive cooperation which has been essen-tial to enhance quality in polar research There is however potential for further utilization of the extensive infrastructure that is established in Svalbard International cooperation and exchange are a prerequisite for maintaining a creative innova-tive and world-class scientific environment in Ny-Aringlesund

Promotion of cooperation between the research communities in Ny-Aringlesund Longyearbyen Hornsund and Barentsburg as well as between Svalbard and other research communities around the world is of great importance to enhance know- ledge on global issues

Phot

o M

aria

nn

e Jo

han

sen

R

CN

2524

53 Sharing and development of research infrastructure

Coordination of infrastructure and logistical services is key to better utilisation of research infrastructure In Ny-Aringlesund the area available for new buildings is limited It is therefore

crucial that existing buildings are used efficiently The need of efficient use of existing buildings has resulted in joint services provided at the Marine Laboratory Zeppelin Observatory Climate Change Tower Gruvebadet Vaskeri Lab MS Teisten Light Sensitive Cabin and the newly established Terrestrial Laboratory (see Box 5)

SSF stimulates cooperation and collaborative efforts between all research communities in Svalbard and within all research disciplines SSF facilitates the RiS-portal (Box 2) for sharing information regarding research projects being conducted any-where in Svalbard including the four permanently manned research communities in Svalbard (Ny-Aringlesund Longyearbyen Barentsburg and Hornsund) The RiS-portal is a unique tool for information exchange and for enhancing cooperation and coordination

SSF administers the Svalbard Strategic Grant (SSG) pro-gramme This is a seed money program aimed at advancing coordination collaboration and data sharing between researchers working with Svalbard research as well as increas-ing cooperation and coordination between the four research communities in Svalbard

A Svalbard Science Conference ndash with the goal of stimulating and inspiring cooperation in and advancement of the research conducted in Svalbard was held for the first time in 2017 This conference gathered scientists experts and relevant key players needed to put Svalbard research in a global context The success of this first meeting has resulted in a plan to have this conference continue on a biennial basis This international conference strives to increase connectivity broadening the research network and bringing Svalbard research into a pan-Arctic setting

Action points

gt RCN in cooperation with SSF will continue and further develop SSG and RiS to support cooperation and coordination of research in Svalbard

gt RCN and SSF will establish the Svalbard Science Conference in cooperation with NPI and other relevant partners as an important arena for cooperation and dissemination of research in Svalbard

Box 5Shared infrastructure The Marine Laboratory is an experimental laboratory for research in marine ecology physiology and biochemistry as well as oceanography marine geology and ice physics The Marine Lab is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS and booking is done through the RiS-portal

The Zeppelin Observatory is an observatory for atmospheric research and monitoring The Observatory is part of a network of very important global observatories for atmospheric measurements and part of several regional and global monitoring networks The observatory is located at the mountain Zeppelinfjellet 475 masl The Zeppelin Observatory is owned and managed by the Norwegian Polar Institute

The Climate Change Tower (CCT) with a height of 32 m hosts many instruments mainly to investigate energy budgets in the Earth surface layer boundary layer dynamics and exchange fluxes at the atmospherendashland interface CCT is owned and managed by the CNR

Gruvebadet is an atmospheric laboratory and observatory located 1 km from the centre of Ny-Aringlesund The building currently hosts instrument for atmosphere and aerosol measurements Gruvebadet is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS

The Vaskeri Lab is an older building that consists of several rooms some of which can be used for common labs fex for environmental or terrestrial laboratory work and is perfect for work with soil sediments animal sampling etc Vaskeri Lab is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS

MS Teisten is a small work boat 31 feet long and equipped to do smaller scientific operations and surveys in Kongsfjorden and Krossfjorden MS Teisten is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS and booking can be done through RiS

The Terrestrial Laboratory (Veksthuset) is located in the middle of town and includes brand new dry and semi-wet lab facilities The labs are expected to be ready for use from summer 2019 The lab is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS

The Light Sensitive Cabin is located 25 km from the centre of Ny-Aringlesund and is specially designed to host instruments that require minimal light contamination The cabin has four domes on the roof is connected to high-speed internet and is insulated The light sensitive cabin is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS

In addition there are some smaller observatoriesplatforms run by various institutions located at the various buildings in Ny-Aringlesund that host instruments for long-term monitoring Several of these are available for other users by request to the owner

Terrestrial Laboratory Photo Susanne Wasa Hagen Kings Bay AS

2726

55 Making information available Making information available to others is essential to estab-lish communication among on-going projects and initiatives The RiS-portal is the important tool to register projects and to find information about activities in Ny-Aringlesund

The flagship programmes have created meeting places for the largest disciplines in Ny-Aringlesund that are important for network building and increasing collaboration

NySMAC has established an internal Project Information and Discussion (PID) forum to share information regarding planned activities These collaborative tools are used by NySMAC in between the semi-annual meetings

To improve dissemination of information relevant to all researchers planning or engaged in activities in Ny-Aringlesund NPI and Kings Bay AS will develop a dedicated and comprehensive web site for Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

Researchers and institutes are expected to

gt register Svalbard-based research projects in RiS and keep the information updated

gt become familiar with other relevant activities by using RiS

Action points

gt SSF will further develop RiS and continue their efforts to ensure that RiS is used by researchers as an attractive portal for information regarding research and opportunities for thematic collaboration and logistics cooperation in Svalbard

gt Development of a dedicated and comprehensive web site for Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

Developing shared thematic laboratories will improve the utilisation of the buildings in Ny-Aringlesund Being an attractive provider of research infrastructure requires effective profes-sional operations efficient utilisation and a realistic cost level For this approach to succeed it is important to develop the existing buildings in accordance with research needs and to facilitate professional joint services that researchers find attractive Ny-Aringlesunds scientific community should take part in the decisions regarding development of new joint services to ensure that they match research needs Norwayrsquos long-term ambition is to further develop thematically-based research infrastructure in Ny-Aringlesund

SIOS is an important tool for sharing and collaborating in the utilisation of Svalbardrsquos infrastructure Scientists conducting earth system research in Ny-Aringlesund are encouraged to become members of SIOS SIOS offers opportunities to access the memberrsquos infrastructure and data through regular strategic calls Access will be based on scientific excellence Applica-tions for access should be made through SIOS decisions will be made in collaboration with the member responsible for the specific infrastructure Research infrastructure includes physical spaces such as laboratories as well as scientific instruments samples data and e-infrastructure

The actors are encouraged to

gt coordinate their activities in Ny-Aringlesund with those of other institutions to optimize research infrastructure utilisation

gt make infrastructure available to others

gt become members of SIOS

gt collaborate and coordinate use of logistics services

Action points

gt Draw up a ldquogap- analysisrdquo for the development of new infrastructure

gt Create a cost-efficiency model for Ny-Aringlesund that includes development of joint research infrastructure

54 Radio silence Ny-Aringlesund is a radio silent area with the long-term goal to further minimize the emissions of electromagnetic (radio wave) pollution Some important sensing-instruments like the VLBI radio telescopes at Norways geodetic laboratory need radio silence to function optimally The General authorisations regulations in Norway (fribruksforskriften) which allows use without permit for common equipment is not valid for the frequencies 2 GHzndash32 GHz within a 20 km radius from Ny-Aringlesund Technology using the 2 GHzndash32 GHz frequency range requires application to the National Communications Authority (Nkom)

Upholding a pristine environment also includes avoiding electro- magnetic pollution Ny-Aringlesund is a unique location world-wide in having radio silence while also providing the infra-structure and logistical support necessary for large-scale research installations Consequently maintaining radio silence is a key priority and efforts to develop the infrastructure to conduct necessary measurements outside the protected frequency band should be intensified For research that requires use of the radio frequency range in question and that cannot be conducted elsewhere in Svalbard it is neces-sary to have overview of frequencies in use in Ny-Aringlesund The radio silence working group established under NySMAC is important in this context

Action points

gt All actors have to contribute to maintain radio silence and prioritise research that does not interfere with the radio silence

gt Develop good procedures and priorities for the use of technology with active transmitters

Norwegian Mapping Authoritys new geodetic observatory Photo Helge Tore Markussen NPI

2928

6 Open access to data

7 Report No 30 (2008ndash2009) to the Storting a white paper on research policy Meld St 18 (2012ndash2013) the white paper Long-term perspectives ndash knowledge provides opportunity Meld St 27 (2015ndash2016) a white paper on Norwayrsquos digital agenda the Ministry of Education and Researchrsquos National strategy on access to and sharing of research data (2017) the EU Commissionrsquos decision to make open data access the norm in the Horizon 2020 programme its ldquoGuidelines on FAIR Data Management in Horizon 2020rdquo its publication ldquoOpen Innovation Open Science Open to the world ndash a vision for Europerdquo and the European Research Area and Innovation Committeersquos Opinion on Open Research Data etc

8 Ministry of Education and Researchrsquos National strategy on access to and sharing of research data (2017) 9 httpswwwforce11orggroupfairgroupfairprinciples10 SIOS Data Policy

Open access to data makes it easier to validate and assess findings as well as to use data in new ways Combining data facilitates more interdisciplinary research Open access to research data reduces duplication of effort increases efficiency and reduces environmental impacts Broader access to research data will strengthen the quality of research in Svalbard

Norwegian and international research policies7 emphasises that research data should be made openly accessible when no legitimate considerations prevent its accessibility or ldquoas open as possible as closed as necessaryrdquo8 This point is made in the Strategy for research and higher education in Svalbard in which the following Norwegian Government objective is expressed ldquoResearch communities active in Svalbard shall take the lead in moving towards shared research data and infrastructurerdquo

Strong metadata ie information about collection delinea-tion definition and other factors relevant for further use is a prerequisite for being able to find and interpret data It is therefore important that data producers are meticulous about standardising the methods and sharing metadata in a way that make data easier to use ideally in line with the FAIR- principles9 FAIR stands for findable accessible interoperable and reusable The concept interoperable entails that both data and metadata must be machine-readable and that a consist-ent terminology is used

The SIOS consortium has developed a data policy that is con-sistent with international principles including requirements for the availability and quality of metadata10 The members of SIOS which includes research conducted in Ny-Aringlesund and Svalbard will be obliged to comply with these principles Standardised metadata requirements should be established for all research in Ny-Aringlesund

Phot

o S

had

eacute B

arka

Mar

tin

s

3130

Phot

o G

eir W

ing

Gab

riel

sen

N

PI

2120

Courses should not be a dominant activity in Ny-Aringlesund UNIS is a unique centre for university-level study and research in Svalbard Ny-Aringlesund is an important location for some of their course activities and courses based at the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS) will be given priority in Ny-Aringlesund

In order to have a good overview and secure coordination and transparency an overall assessment of the needs and desires for teaching activities will be required It may be appropriate to impose deadlines for submitting requests All course activity requests must include a reason why the course in question must be held in Ny-Aringlesund

SSF allocates funding for fieldwork in Svalbard in which the main priority is to support MSc students PhD students and researchers not currently established in Svalbard This grant-ing programme recruits the new generation of young scientist and facilitates the opportunity to conduct fieldwork in Svalbard (Box 4)

Action points

gt Recruitment in polar research by promoting involvement of MSc and PhD students in research projects should be encouraged

gt RCN will continue to support field activity for MSc students and PhD students through Arctic Field Grants

gt Develop procedures for facilitating course activities at MSc and PhD levels

43 Education There is a need for recruitment in polar research both in Norway and internationally Ny-Aringlesund is a unique learning site with access to infrastructure field locations and an important international research environment Ny-Aringlesund should contribute to the recruitment of a new generation of polar researchers by hosting masters students and doctoral fellowship-holders in connection with research projects

Courses are welcome in Ny-Aringlesund as long as the following criteria are met

gt They are targeted for MSc andor PhD (or similar level) education

gt The courses will use research infrastructure or unique field opportunities available on-site

gt They are within natural science disciplines

gt There is capacity at the station

gt Sufficient consideration to the cultural-historical attributes and natural environment are taken into account

Box 4Arctic Field Grant (AFG)

The Arctic Field Grant (AFG) has been awarded to more than 1600 researchers master and PhD students since 1953 The grant has been managed by the RCN since 2011 and has since that time allocated 22 million NOK to 435 projects including 148 PhD and 225 MSc students

Some facts about AFG gt 3 of 10 recipients are now pursuing a career in polar science because of AFG

gt 4 of 10 projects were conducted in Ny-Aringlesund

gt 5 of 10 projects resulted in a peer reviewed paper

gt 6 of 10 applications were successful

gt 8 of 10 recipients are MSc or PhD students

gt 9 of 10 former recipients and supervisors said AFG helps with recruitment of young scientists into polar research

Phot

o S

teve

Cou

lson

U

NIS

2322

5 Sustainable research production

The present scope of research activity in Ny-Aringlesund makes it necessary to strengthen the interaction cooperation and coordination of research activities to ensure sustainability Sustainable research production stimulates new innovative ideas and gives the opportunity to do basic research Further sustainable research refers to activity that has low environmental impact promotes effectiveness through optimal use of data avoids extensive overlap and makes the best possible use of the arearsquos distinctive character

51 Coordination of research activity Various forums for logistical and practical research coordina-tion in Ny-Aringlesund have been established The area has exten-sive research infrastructure and a long tradition of research cooperation NPI will facilitate day-to-day coordination of activity through a weekly meeting with representatives from all key actors present in Ny-Aringlesund

NySMAC contributes to coordination of the research activities in Ny-Aringlesund The committee has an essential role in developing cooperation between the institutions present in Ny-Aringlesund It also acts as an advisory body regarding cooper-ation and priorities to the research actors with ongoing or planned projects in the area

Kings Bay AS serves as the provider of research logistics and it develops and maintains research infrastructure for common use

The member-based consortium SIOS has a significant role regarding instrumentation and infrastructure in Ny-Aringlesund SIOS has a coordinating role in the optimization of observa-tion of earth system science from research infrastructure located in Ny-Aringlesund

SSF acts as a coordinating body for all research activity on Svalbard and will continue to contribute to and stimulate enhanced cooperation and collaboration between the four research communities Longyearbyen Ny-Aringlesund Barentsburg and Hornsund

Close cooperation between all the above-mentioned bodies is essential for the further development of the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

52 International cooperation The unique international community present in Ny-Aringlesund has a history of extensive cooperation which has been essen-tial to enhance quality in polar research There is however potential for further utilization of the extensive infrastructure that is established in Svalbard International cooperation and exchange are a prerequisite for maintaining a creative innova-tive and world-class scientific environment in Ny-Aringlesund

Promotion of cooperation between the research communities in Ny-Aringlesund Longyearbyen Hornsund and Barentsburg as well as between Svalbard and other research communities around the world is of great importance to enhance know- ledge on global issues

Phot

o M

aria

nn

e Jo

han

sen

R

CN

2524

53 Sharing and development of research infrastructure

Coordination of infrastructure and logistical services is key to better utilisation of research infrastructure In Ny-Aringlesund the area available for new buildings is limited It is therefore

crucial that existing buildings are used efficiently The need of efficient use of existing buildings has resulted in joint services provided at the Marine Laboratory Zeppelin Observatory Climate Change Tower Gruvebadet Vaskeri Lab MS Teisten Light Sensitive Cabin and the newly established Terrestrial Laboratory (see Box 5)

SSF stimulates cooperation and collaborative efforts between all research communities in Svalbard and within all research disciplines SSF facilitates the RiS-portal (Box 2) for sharing information regarding research projects being conducted any-where in Svalbard including the four permanently manned research communities in Svalbard (Ny-Aringlesund Longyearbyen Barentsburg and Hornsund) The RiS-portal is a unique tool for information exchange and for enhancing cooperation and coordination

SSF administers the Svalbard Strategic Grant (SSG) pro-gramme This is a seed money program aimed at advancing coordination collaboration and data sharing between researchers working with Svalbard research as well as increas-ing cooperation and coordination between the four research communities in Svalbard

A Svalbard Science Conference ndash with the goal of stimulating and inspiring cooperation in and advancement of the research conducted in Svalbard was held for the first time in 2017 This conference gathered scientists experts and relevant key players needed to put Svalbard research in a global context The success of this first meeting has resulted in a plan to have this conference continue on a biennial basis This international conference strives to increase connectivity broadening the research network and bringing Svalbard research into a pan-Arctic setting

Action points

gt RCN in cooperation with SSF will continue and further develop SSG and RiS to support cooperation and coordination of research in Svalbard

gt RCN and SSF will establish the Svalbard Science Conference in cooperation with NPI and other relevant partners as an important arena for cooperation and dissemination of research in Svalbard

Box 5Shared infrastructure The Marine Laboratory is an experimental laboratory for research in marine ecology physiology and biochemistry as well as oceanography marine geology and ice physics The Marine Lab is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS and booking is done through the RiS-portal

The Zeppelin Observatory is an observatory for atmospheric research and monitoring The Observatory is part of a network of very important global observatories for atmospheric measurements and part of several regional and global monitoring networks The observatory is located at the mountain Zeppelinfjellet 475 masl The Zeppelin Observatory is owned and managed by the Norwegian Polar Institute

The Climate Change Tower (CCT) with a height of 32 m hosts many instruments mainly to investigate energy budgets in the Earth surface layer boundary layer dynamics and exchange fluxes at the atmospherendashland interface CCT is owned and managed by the CNR

Gruvebadet is an atmospheric laboratory and observatory located 1 km from the centre of Ny-Aringlesund The building currently hosts instrument for atmosphere and aerosol measurements Gruvebadet is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS

The Vaskeri Lab is an older building that consists of several rooms some of which can be used for common labs fex for environmental or terrestrial laboratory work and is perfect for work with soil sediments animal sampling etc Vaskeri Lab is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS

MS Teisten is a small work boat 31 feet long and equipped to do smaller scientific operations and surveys in Kongsfjorden and Krossfjorden MS Teisten is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS and booking can be done through RiS

The Terrestrial Laboratory (Veksthuset) is located in the middle of town and includes brand new dry and semi-wet lab facilities The labs are expected to be ready for use from summer 2019 The lab is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS

The Light Sensitive Cabin is located 25 km from the centre of Ny-Aringlesund and is specially designed to host instruments that require minimal light contamination The cabin has four domes on the roof is connected to high-speed internet and is insulated The light sensitive cabin is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS

In addition there are some smaller observatoriesplatforms run by various institutions located at the various buildings in Ny-Aringlesund that host instruments for long-term monitoring Several of these are available for other users by request to the owner

Terrestrial Laboratory Photo Susanne Wasa Hagen Kings Bay AS

2726

55 Making information available Making information available to others is essential to estab-lish communication among on-going projects and initiatives The RiS-portal is the important tool to register projects and to find information about activities in Ny-Aringlesund

The flagship programmes have created meeting places for the largest disciplines in Ny-Aringlesund that are important for network building and increasing collaboration

NySMAC has established an internal Project Information and Discussion (PID) forum to share information regarding planned activities These collaborative tools are used by NySMAC in between the semi-annual meetings

To improve dissemination of information relevant to all researchers planning or engaged in activities in Ny-Aringlesund NPI and Kings Bay AS will develop a dedicated and comprehensive web site for Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

Researchers and institutes are expected to

gt register Svalbard-based research projects in RiS and keep the information updated

gt become familiar with other relevant activities by using RiS

Action points

gt SSF will further develop RiS and continue their efforts to ensure that RiS is used by researchers as an attractive portal for information regarding research and opportunities for thematic collaboration and logistics cooperation in Svalbard

gt Development of a dedicated and comprehensive web site for Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

Developing shared thematic laboratories will improve the utilisation of the buildings in Ny-Aringlesund Being an attractive provider of research infrastructure requires effective profes-sional operations efficient utilisation and a realistic cost level For this approach to succeed it is important to develop the existing buildings in accordance with research needs and to facilitate professional joint services that researchers find attractive Ny-Aringlesunds scientific community should take part in the decisions regarding development of new joint services to ensure that they match research needs Norwayrsquos long-term ambition is to further develop thematically-based research infrastructure in Ny-Aringlesund

SIOS is an important tool for sharing and collaborating in the utilisation of Svalbardrsquos infrastructure Scientists conducting earth system research in Ny-Aringlesund are encouraged to become members of SIOS SIOS offers opportunities to access the memberrsquos infrastructure and data through regular strategic calls Access will be based on scientific excellence Applica-tions for access should be made through SIOS decisions will be made in collaboration with the member responsible for the specific infrastructure Research infrastructure includes physical spaces such as laboratories as well as scientific instruments samples data and e-infrastructure

The actors are encouraged to

gt coordinate their activities in Ny-Aringlesund with those of other institutions to optimize research infrastructure utilisation

gt make infrastructure available to others

gt become members of SIOS

gt collaborate and coordinate use of logistics services

Action points

gt Draw up a ldquogap- analysisrdquo for the development of new infrastructure

gt Create a cost-efficiency model for Ny-Aringlesund that includes development of joint research infrastructure

54 Radio silence Ny-Aringlesund is a radio silent area with the long-term goal to further minimize the emissions of electromagnetic (radio wave) pollution Some important sensing-instruments like the VLBI radio telescopes at Norways geodetic laboratory need radio silence to function optimally The General authorisations regulations in Norway (fribruksforskriften) which allows use without permit for common equipment is not valid for the frequencies 2 GHzndash32 GHz within a 20 km radius from Ny-Aringlesund Technology using the 2 GHzndash32 GHz frequency range requires application to the National Communications Authority (Nkom)

Upholding a pristine environment also includes avoiding electro- magnetic pollution Ny-Aringlesund is a unique location world-wide in having radio silence while also providing the infra-structure and logistical support necessary for large-scale research installations Consequently maintaining radio silence is a key priority and efforts to develop the infrastructure to conduct necessary measurements outside the protected frequency band should be intensified For research that requires use of the radio frequency range in question and that cannot be conducted elsewhere in Svalbard it is neces-sary to have overview of frequencies in use in Ny-Aringlesund The radio silence working group established under NySMAC is important in this context

Action points

gt All actors have to contribute to maintain radio silence and prioritise research that does not interfere with the radio silence

gt Develop good procedures and priorities for the use of technology with active transmitters

Norwegian Mapping Authoritys new geodetic observatory Photo Helge Tore Markussen NPI

2928

6 Open access to data

7 Report No 30 (2008ndash2009) to the Storting a white paper on research policy Meld St 18 (2012ndash2013) the white paper Long-term perspectives ndash knowledge provides opportunity Meld St 27 (2015ndash2016) a white paper on Norwayrsquos digital agenda the Ministry of Education and Researchrsquos National strategy on access to and sharing of research data (2017) the EU Commissionrsquos decision to make open data access the norm in the Horizon 2020 programme its ldquoGuidelines on FAIR Data Management in Horizon 2020rdquo its publication ldquoOpen Innovation Open Science Open to the world ndash a vision for Europerdquo and the European Research Area and Innovation Committeersquos Opinion on Open Research Data etc

8 Ministry of Education and Researchrsquos National strategy on access to and sharing of research data (2017) 9 httpswwwforce11orggroupfairgroupfairprinciples10 SIOS Data Policy

Open access to data makes it easier to validate and assess findings as well as to use data in new ways Combining data facilitates more interdisciplinary research Open access to research data reduces duplication of effort increases efficiency and reduces environmental impacts Broader access to research data will strengthen the quality of research in Svalbard

Norwegian and international research policies7 emphasises that research data should be made openly accessible when no legitimate considerations prevent its accessibility or ldquoas open as possible as closed as necessaryrdquo8 This point is made in the Strategy for research and higher education in Svalbard in which the following Norwegian Government objective is expressed ldquoResearch communities active in Svalbard shall take the lead in moving towards shared research data and infrastructurerdquo

Strong metadata ie information about collection delinea-tion definition and other factors relevant for further use is a prerequisite for being able to find and interpret data It is therefore important that data producers are meticulous about standardising the methods and sharing metadata in a way that make data easier to use ideally in line with the FAIR- principles9 FAIR stands for findable accessible interoperable and reusable The concept interoperable entails that both data and metadata must be machine-readable and that a consist-ent terminology is used

The SIOS consortium has developed a data policy that is con-sistent with international principles including requirements for the availability and quality of metadata10 The members of SIOS which includes research conducted in Ny-Aringlesund and Svalbard will be obliged to comply with these principles Standardised metadata requirements should be established for all research in Ny-Aringlesund

Phot

o S

had

eacute B

arka

Mar

tin

s

3130

Courses should not be a dominant activity in Ny-Aringlesund UNIS is a unique centre for university-level study and research in Svalbard Ny-Aringlesund is an important location for some of their course activities and courses based at the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS) will be given priority in Ny-Aringlesund

In order to have a good overview and secure coordination and transparency an overall assessment of the needs and desires for teaching activities will be required It may be appropriate to impose deadlines for submitting requests All course activity requests must include a reason why the course in question must be held in Ny-Aringlesund

SSF allocates funding for fieldwork in Svalbard in which the main priority is to support MSc students PhD students and researchers not currently established in Svalbard This grant-ing programme recruits the new generation of young scientist and facilitates the opportunity to conduct fieldwork in Svalbard (Box 4)

Action points

gt Recruitment in polar research by promoting involvement of MSc and PhD students in research projects should be encouraged

gt RCN will continue to support field activity for MSc students and PhD students through Arctic Field Grants

gt Develop procedures for facilitating course activities at MSc and PhD levels

43 Education There is a need for recruitment in polar research both in Norway and internationally Ny-Aringlesund is a unique learning site with access to infrastructure field locations and an important international research environment Ny-Aringlesund should contribute to the recruitment of a new generation of polar researchers by hosting masters students and doctoral fellowship-holders in connection with research projects

Courses are welcome in Ny-Aringlesund as long as the following criteria are met

gt They are targeted for MSc andor PhD (or similar level) education

gt The courses will use research infrastructure or unique field opportunities available on-site

gt They are within natural science disciplines

gt There is capacity at the station

gt Sufficient consideration to the cultural-historical attributes and natural environment are taken into account

Box 4Arctic Field Grant (AFG)

The Arctic Field Grant (AFG) has been awarded to more than 1600 researchers master and PhD students since 1953 The grant has been managed by the RCN since 2011 and has since that time allocated 22 million NOK to 435 projects including 148 PhD and 225 MSc students

Some facts about AFG gt 3 of 10 recipients are now pursuing a career in polar science because of AFG

gt 4 of 10 projects were conducted in Ny-Aringlesund

gt 5 of 10 projects resulted in a peer reviewed paper

gt 6 of 10 applications were successful

gt 8 of 10 recipients are MSc or PhD students

gt 9 of 10 former recipients and supervisors said AFG helps with recruitment of young scientists into polar research

Phot

o S

teve

Cou

lson

U

NIS

2322

5 Sustainable research production

The present scope of research activity in Ny-Aringlesund makes it necessary to strengthen the interaction cooperation and coordination of research activities to ensure sustainability Sustainable research production stimulates new innovative ideas and gives the opportunity to do basic research Further sustainable research refers to activity that has low environmental impact promotes effectiveness through optimal use of data avoids extensive overlap and makes the best possible use of the arearsquos distinctive character

51 Coordination of research activity Various forums for logistical and practical research coordina-tion in Ny-Aringlesund have been established The area has exten-sive research infrastructure and a long tradition of research cooperation NPI will facilitate day-to-day coordination of activity through a weekly meeting with representatives from all key actors present in Ny-Aringlesund

NySMAC contributes to coordination of the research activities in Ny-Aringlesund The committee has an essential role in developing cooperation between the institutions present in Ny-Aringlesund It also acts as an advisory body regarding cooper-ation and priorities to the research actors with ongoing or planned projects in the area

Kings Bay AS serves as the provider of research logistics and it develops and maintains research infrastructure for common use

The member-based consortium SIOS has a significant role regarding instrumentation and infrastructure in Ny-Aringlesund SIOS has a coordinating role in the optimization of observa-tion of earth system science from research infrastructure located in Ny-Aringlesund

SSF acts as a coordinating body for all research activity on Svalbard and will continue to contribute to and stimulate enhanced cooperation and collaboration between the four research communities Longyearbyen Ny-Aringlesund Barentsburg and Hornsund

Close cooperation between all the above-mentioned bodies is essential for the further development of the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

52 International cooperation The unique international community present in Ny-Aringlesund has a history of extensive cooperation which has been essen-tial to enhance quality in polar research There is however potential for further utilization of the extensive infrastructure that is established in Svalbard International cooperation and exchange are a prerequisite for maintaining a creative innova-tive and world-class scientific environment in Ny-Aringlesund

Promotion of cooperation between the research communities in Ny-Aringlesund Longyearbyen Hornsund and Barentsburg as well as between Svalbard and other research communities around the world is of great importance to enhance know- ledge on global issues

Phot

o M

aria

nn

e Jo

han

sen

R

CN

2524

53 Sharing and development of research infrastructure

Coordination of infrastructure and logistical services is key to better utilisation of research infrastructure In Ny-Aringlesund the area available for new buildings is limited It is therefore

crucial that existing buildings are used efficiently The need of efficient use of existing buildings has resulted in joint services provided at the Marine Laboratory Zeppelin Observatory Climate Change Tower Gruvebadet Vaskeri Lab MS Teisten Light Sensitive Cabin and the newly established Terrestrial Laboratory (see Box 5)

SSF stimulates cooperation and collaborative efforts between all research communities in Svalbard and within all research disciplines SSF facilitates the RiS-portal (Box 2) for sharing information regarding research projects being conducted any-where in Svalbard including the four permanently manned research communities in Svalbard (Ny-Aringlesund Longyearbyen Barentsburg and Hornsund) The RiS-portal is a unique tool for information exchange and for enhancing cooperation and coordination

SSF administers the Svalbard Strategic Grant (SSG) pro-gramme This is a seed money program aimed at advancing coordination collaboration and data sharing between researchers working with Svalbard research as well as increas-ing cooperation and coordination between the four research communities in Svalbard

A Svalbard Science Conference ndash with the goal of stimulating and inspiring cooperation in and advancement of the research conducted in Svalbard was held for the first time in 2017 This conference gathered scientists experts and relevant key players needed to put Svalbard research in a global context The success of this first meeting has resulted in a plan to have this conference continue on a biennial basis This international conference strives to increase connectivity broadening the research network and bringing Svalbard research into a pan-Arctic setting

Action points

gt RCN in cooperation with SSF will continue and further develop SSG and RiS to support cooperation and coordination of research in Svalbard

gt RCN and SSF will establish the Svalbard Science Conference in cooperation with NPI and other relevant partners as an important arena for cooperation and dissemination of research in Svalbard

Box 5Shared infrastructure The Marine Laboratory is an experimental laboratory for research in marine ecology physiology and biochemistry as well as oceanography marine geology and ice physics The Marine Lab is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS and booking is done through the RiS-portal

The Zeppelin Observatory is an observatory for atmospheric research and monitoring The Observatory is part of a network of very important global observatories for atmospheric measurements and part of several regional and global monitoring networks The observatory is located at the mountain Zeppelinfjellet 475 masl The Zeppelin Observatory is owned and managed by the Norwegian Polar Institute

The Climate Change Tower (CCT) with a height of 32 m hosts many instruments mainly to investigate energy budgets in the Earth surface layer boundary layer dynamics and exchange fluxes at the atmospherendashland interface CCT is owned and managed by the CNR

Gruvebadet is an atmospheric laboratory and observatory located 1 km from the centre of Ny-Aringlesund The building currently hosts instrument for atmosphere and aerosol measurements Gruvebadet is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS

The Vaskeri Lab is an older building that consists of several rooms some of which can be used for common labs fex for environmental or terrestrial laboratory work and is perfect for work with soil sediments animal sampling etc Vaskeri Lab is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS

MS Teisten is a small work boat 31 feet long and equipped to do smaller scientific operations and surveys in Kongsfjorden and Krossfjorden MS Teisten is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS and booking can be done through RiS

The Terrestrial Laboratory (Veksthuset) is located in the middle of town and includes brand new dry and semi-wet lab facilities The labs are expected to be ready for use from summer 2019 The lab is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS

The Light Sensitive Cabin is located 25 km from the centre of Ny-Aringlesund and is specially designed to host instruments that require minimal light contamination The cabin has four domes on the roof is connected to high-speed internet and is insulated The light sensitive cabin is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS

In addition there are some smaller observatoriesplatforms run by various institutions located at the various buildings in Ny-Aringlesund that host instruments for long-term monitoring Several of these are available for other users by request to the owner

Terrestrial Laboratory Photo Susanne Wasa Hagen Kings Bay AS

2726

55 Making information available Making information available to others is essential to estab-lish communication among on-going projects and initiatives The RiS-portal is the important tool to register projects and to find information about activities in Ny-Aringlesund

The flagship programmes have created meeting places for the largest disciplines in Ny-Aringlesund that are important for network building and increasing collaboration

NySMAC has established an internal Project Information and Discussion (PID) forum to share information regarding planned activities These collaborative tools are used by NySMAC in between the semi-annual meetings

To improve dissemination of information relevant to all researchers planning or engaged in activities in Ny-Aringlesund NPI and Kings Bay AS will develop a dedicated and comprehensive web site for Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

Researchers and institutes are expected to

gt register Svalbard-based research projects in RiS and keep the information updated

gt become familiar with other relevant activities by using RiS

Action points

gt SSF will further develop RiS and continue their efforts to ensure that RiS is used by researchers as an attractive portal for information regarding research and opportunities for thematic collaboration and logistics cooperation in Svalbard

gt Development of a dedicated and comprehensive web site for Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

Developing shared thematic laboratories will improve the utilisation of the buildings in Ny-Aringlesund Being an attractive provider of research infrastructure requires effective profes-sional operations efficient utilisation and a realistic cost level For this approach to succeed it is important to develop the existing buildings in accordance with research needs and to facilitate professional joint services that researchers find attractive Ny-Aringlesunds scientific community should take part in the decisions regarding development of new joint services to ensure that they match research needs Norwayrsquos long-term ambition is to further develop thematically-based research infrastructure in Ny-Aringlesund

SIOS is an important tool for sharing and collaborating in the utilisation of Svalbardrsquos infrastructure Scientists conducting earth system research in Ny-Aringlesund are encouraged to become members of SIOS SIOS offers opportunities to access the memberrsquos infrastructure and data through regular strategic calls Access will be based on scientific excellence Applica-tions for access should be made through SIOS decisions will be made in collaboration with the member responsible for the specific infrastructure Research infrastructure includes physical spaces such as laboratories as well as scientific instruments samples data and e-infrastructure

The actors are encouraged to

gt coordinate their activities in Ny-Aringlesund with those of other institutions to optimize research infrastructure utilisation

gt make infrastructure available to others

gt become members of SIOS

gt collaborate and coordinate use of logistics services

Action points

gt Draw up a ldquogap- analysisrdquo for the development of new infrastructure

gt Create a cost-efficiency model for Ny-Aringlesund that includes development of joint research infrastructure

54 Radio silence Ny-Aringlesund is a radio silent area with the long-term goal to further minimize the emissions of electromagnetic (radio wave) pollution Some important sensing-instruments like the VLBI radio telescopes at Norways geodetic laboratory need radio silence to function optimally The General authorisations regulations in Norway (fribruksforskriften) which allows use without permit for common equipment is not valid for the frequencies 2 GHzndash32 GHz within a 20 km radius from Ny-Aringlesund Technology using the 2 GHzndash32 GHz frequency range requires application to the National Communications Authority (Nkom)

Upholding a pristine environment also includes avoiding electro- magnetic pollution Ny-Aringlesund is a unique location world-wide in having radio silence while also providing the infra-structure and logistical support necessary for large-scale research installations Consequently maintaining radio silence is a key priority and efforts to develop the infrastructure to conduct necessary measurements outside the protected frequency band should be intensified For research that requires use of the radio frequency range in question and that cannot be conducted elsewhere in Svalbard it is neces-sary to have overview of frequencies in use in Ny-Aringlesund The radio silence working group established under NySMAC is important in this context

Action points

gt All actors have to contribute to maintain radio silence and prioritise research that does not interfere with the radio silence

gt Develop good procedures and priorities for the use of technology with active transmitters

Norwegian Mapping Authoritys new geodetic observatory Photo Helge Tore Markussen NPI

2928

6 Open access to data

7 Report No 30 (2008ndash2009) to the Storting a white paper on research policy Meld St 18 (2012ndash2013) the white paper Long-term perspectives ndash knowledge provides opportunity Meld St 27 (2015ndash2016) a white paper on Norwayrsquos digital agenda the Ministry of Education and Researchrsquos National strategy on access to and sharing of research data (2017) the EU Commissionrsquos decision to make open data access the norm in the Horizon 2020 programme its ldquoGuidelines on FAIR Data Management in Horizon 2020rdquo its publication ldquoOpen Innovation Open Science Open to the world ndash a vision for Europerdquo and the European Research Area and Innovation Committeersquos Opinion on Open Research Data etc

8 Ministry of Education and Researchrsquos National strategy on access to and sharing of research data (2017) 9 httpswwwforce11orggroupfairgroupfairprinciples10 SIOS Data Policy

Open access to data makes it easier to validate and assess findings as well as to use data in new ways Combining data facilitates more interdisciplinary research Open access to research data reduces duplication of effort increases efficiency and reduces environmental impacts Broader access to research data will strengthen the quality of research in Svalbard

Norwegian and international research policies7 emphasises that research data should be made openly accessible when no legitimate considerations prevent its accessibility or ldquoas open as possible as closed as necessaryrdquo8 This point is made in the Strategy for research and higher education in Svalbard in which the following Norwegian Government objective is expressed ldquoResearch communities active in Svalbard shall take the lead in moving towards shared research data and infrastructurerdquo

Strong metadata ie information about collection delinea-tion definition and other factors relevant for further use is a prerequisite for being able to find and interpret data It is therefore important that data producers are meticulous about standardising the methods and sharing metadata in a way that make data easier to use ideally in line with the FAIR- principles9 FAIR stands for findable accessible interoperable and reusable The concept interoperable entails that both data and metadata must be machine-readable and that a consist-ent terminology is used

The SIOS consortium has developed a data policy that is con-sistent with international principles including requirements for the availability and quality of metadata10 The members of SIOS which includes research conducted in Ny-Aringlesund and Svalbard will be obliged to comply with these principles Standardised metadata requirements should be established for all research in Ny-Aringlesund

Phot

o S

had

eacute B

arka

Mar

tin

s

3130

5 Sustainable research production

The present scope of research activity in Ny-Aringlesund makes it necessary to strengthen the interaction cooperation and coordination of research activities to ensure sustainability Sustainable research production stimulates new innovative ideas and gives the opportunity to do basic research Further sustainable research refers to activity that has low environmental impact promotes effectiveness through optimal use of data avoids extensive overlap and makes the best possible use of the arearsquos distinctive character

51 Coordination of research activity Various forums for logistical and practical research coordina-tion in Ny-Aringlesund have been established The area has exten-sive research infrastructure and a long tradition of research cooperation NPI will facilitate day-to-day coordination of activity through a weekly meeting with representatives from all key actors present in Ny-Aringlesund

NySMAC contributes to coordination of the research activities in Ny-Aringlesund The committee has an essential role in developing cooperation between the institutions present in Ny-Aringlesund It also acts as an advisory body regarding cooper-ation and priorities to the research actors with ongoing or planned projects in the area

Kings Bay AS serves as the provider of research logistics and it develops and maintains research infrastructure for common use

The member-based consortium SIOS has a significant role regarding instrumentation and infrastructure in Ny-Aringlesund SIOS has a coordinating role in the optimization of observa-tion of earth system science from research infrastructure located in Ny-Aringlesund

SSF acts as a coordinating body for all research activity on Svalbard and will continue to contribute to and stimulate enhanced cooperation and collaboration between the four research communities Longyearbyen Ny-Aringlesund Barentsburg and Hornsund

Close cooperation between all the above-mentioned bodies is essential for the further development of the Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

52 International cooperation The unique international community present in Ny-Aringlesund has a history of extensive cooperation which has been essen-tial to enhance quality in polar research There is however potential for further utilization of the extensive infrastructure that is established in Svalbard International cooperation and exchange are a prerequisite for maintaining a creative innova-tive and world-class scientific environment in Ny-Aringlesund

Promotion of cooperation between the research communities in Ny-Aringlesund Longyearbyen Hornsund and Barentsburg as well as between Svalbard and other research communities around the world is of great importance to enhance know- ledge on global issues

Phot

o M

aria

nn

e Jo

han

sen

R

CN

2524

53 Sharing and development of research infrastructure

Coordination of infrastructure and logistical services is key to better utilisation of research infrastructure In Ny-Aringlesund the area available for new buildings is limited It is therefore

crucial that existing buildings are used efficiently The need of efficient use of existing buildings has resulted in joint services provided at the Marine Laboratory Zeppelin Observatory Climate Change Tower Gruvebadet Vaskeri Lab MS Teisten Light Sensitive Cabin and the newly established Terrestrial Laboratory (see Box 5)

SSF stimulates cooperation and collaborative efforts between all research communities in Svalbard and within all research disciplines SSF facilitates the RiS-portal (Box 2) for sharing information regarding research projects being conducted any-where in Svalbard including the four permanently manned research communities in Svalbard (Ny-Aringlesund Longyearbyen Barentsburg and Hornsund) The RiS-portal is a unique tool for information exchange and for enhancing cooperation and coordination

SSF administers the Svalbard Strategic Grant (SSG) pro-gramme This is a seed money program aimed at advancing coordination collaboration and data sharing between researchers working with Svalbard research as well as increas-ing cooperation and coordination between the four research communities in Svalbard

A Svalbard Science Conference ndash with the goal of stimulating and inspiring cooperation in and advancement of the research conducted in Svalbard was held for the first time in 2017 This conference gathered scientists experts and relevant key players needed to put Svalbard research in a global context The success of this first meeting has resulted in a plan to have this conference continue on a biennial basis This international conference strives to increase connectivity broadening the research network and bringing Svalbard research into a pan-Arctic setting

Action points

gt RCN in cooperation with SSF will continue and further develop SSG and RiS to support cooperation and coordination of research in Svalbard

gt RCN and SSF will establish the Svalbard Science Conference in cooperation with NPI and other relevant partners as an important arena for cooperation and dissemination of research in Svalbard

Box 5Shared infrastructure The Marine Laboratory is an experimental laboratory for research in marine ecology physiology and biochemistry as well as oceanography marine geology and ice physics The Marine Lab is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS and booking is done through the RiS-portal

The Zeppelin Observatory is an observatory for atmospheric research and monitoring The Observatory is part of a network of very important global observatories for atmospheric measurements and part of several regional and global monitoring networks The observatory is located at the mountain Zeppelinfjellet 475 masl The Zeppelin Observatory is owned and managed by the Norwegian Polar Institute

The Climate Change Tower (CCT) with a height of 32 m hosts many instruments mainly to investigate energy budgets in the Earth surface layer boundary layer dynamics and exchange fluxes at the atmospherendashland interface CCT is owned and managed by the CNR

Gruvebadet is an atmospheric laboratory and observatory located 1 km from the centre of Ny-Aringlesund The building currently hosts instrument for atmosphere and aerosol measurements Gruvebadet is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS

The Vaskeri Lab is an older building that consists of several rooms some of which can be used for common labs fex for environmental or terrestrial laboratory work and is perfect for work with soil sediments animal sampling etc Vaskeri Lab is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS

MS Teisten is a small work boat 31 feet long and equipped to do smaller scientific operations and surveys in Kongsfjorden and Krossfjorden MS Teisten is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS and booking can be done through RiS

The Terrestrial Laboratory (Veksthuset) is located in the middle of town and includes brand new dry and semi-wet lab facilities The labs are expected to be ready for use from summer 2019 The lab is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS

The Light Sensitive Cabin is located 25 km from the centre of Ny-Aringlesund and is specially designed to host instruments that require minimal light contamination The cabin has four domes on the roof is connected to high-speed internet and is insulated The light sensitive cabin is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS

In addition there are some smaller observatoriesplatforms run by various institutions located at the various buildings in Ny-Aringlesund that host instruments for long-term monitoring Several of these are available for other users by request to the owner

Terrestrial Laboratory Photo Susanne Wasa Hagen Kings Bay AS

2726

55 Making information available Making information available to others is essential to estab-lish communication among on-going projects and initiatives The RiS-portal is the important tool to register projects and to find information about activities in Ny-Aringlesund

The flagship programmes have created meeting places for the largest disciplines in Ny-Aringlesund that are important for network building and increasing collaboration

NySMAC has established an internal Project Information and Discussion (PID) forum to share information regarding planned activities These collaborative tools are used by NySMAC in between the semi-annual meetings

To improve dissemination of information relevant to all researchers planning or engaged in activities in Ny-Aringlesund NPI and Kings Bay AS will develop a dedicated and comprehensive web site for Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

Researchers and institutes are expected to

gt register Svalbard-based research projects in RiS and keep the information updated

gt become familiar with other relevant activities by using RiS

Action points

gt SSF will further develop RiS and continue their efforts to ensure that RiS is used by researchers as an attractive portal for information regarding research and opportunities for thematic collaboration and logistics cooperation in Svalbard

gt Development of a dedicated and comprehensive web site for Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

Developing shared thematic laboratories will improve the utilisation of the buildings in Ny-Aringlesund Being an attractive provider of research infrastructure requires effective profes-sional operations efficient utilisation and a realistic cost level For this approach to succeed it is important to develop the existing buildings in accordance with research needs and to facilitate professional joint services that researchers find attractive Ny-Aringlesunds scientific community should take part in the decisions regarding development of new joint services to ensure that they match research needs Norwayrsquos long-term ambition is to further develop thematically-based research infrastructure in Ny-Aringlesund

SIOS is an important tool for sharing and collaborating in the utilisation of Svalbardrsquos infrastructure Scientists conducting earth system research in Ny-Aringlesund are encouraged to become members of SIOS SIOS offers opportunities to access the memberrsquos infrastructure and data through regular strategic calls Access will be based on scientific excellence Applica-tions for access should be made through SIOS decisions will be made in collaboration with the member responsible for the specific infrastructure Research infrastructure includes physical spaces such as laboratories as well as scientific instruments samples data and e-infrastructure

The actors are encouraged to

gt coordinate their activities in Ny-Aringlesund with those of other institutions to optimize research infrastructure utilisation

gt make infrastructure available to others

gt become members of SIOS

gt collaborate and coordinate use of logistics services

Action points

gt Draw up a ldquogap- analysisrdquo for the development of new infrastructure

gt Create a cost-efficiency model for Ny-Aringlesund that includes development of joint research infrastructure

54 Radio silence Ny-Aringlesund is a radio silent area with the long-term goal to further minimize the emissions of electromagnetic (radio wave) pollution Some important sensing-instruments like the VLBI radio telescopes at Norways geodetic laboratory need radio silence to function optimally The General authorisations regulations in Norway (fribruksforskriften) which allows use without permit for common equipment is not valid for the frequencies 2 GHzndash32 GHz within a 20 km radius from Ny-Aringlesund Technology using the 2 GHzndash32 GHz frequency range requires application to the National Communications Authority (Nkom)

Upholding a pristine environment also includes avoiding electro- magnetic pollution Ny-Aringlesund is a unique location world-wide in having radio silence while also providing the infra-structure and logistical support necessary for large-scale research installations Consequently maintaining radio silence is a key priority and efforts to develop the infrastructure to conduct necessary measurements outside the protected frequency band should be intensified For research that requires use of the radio frequency range in question and that cannot be conducted elsewhere in Svalbard it is neces-sary to have overview of frequencies in use in Ny-Aringlesund The radio silence working group established under NySMAC is important in this context

Action points

gt All actors have to contribute to maintain radio silence and prioritise research that does not interfere with the radio silence

gt Develop good procedures and priorities for the use of technology with active transmitters

Norwegian Mapping Authoritys new geodetic observatory Photo Helge Tore Markussen NPI

2928

6 Open access to data

7 Report No 30 (2008ndash2009) to the Storting a white paper on research policy Meld St 18 (2012ndash2013) the white paper Long-term perspectives ndash knowledge provides opportunity Meld St 27 (2015ndash2016) a white paper on Norwayrsquos digital agenda the Ministry of Education and Researchrsquos National strategy on access to and sharing of research data (2017) the EU Commissionrsquos decision to make open data access the norm in the Horizon 2020 programme its ldquoGuidelines on FAIR Data Management in Horizon 2020rdquo its publication ldquoOpen Innovation Open Science Open to the world ndash a vision for Europerdquo and the European Research Area and Innovation Committeersquos Opinion on Open Research Data etc

8 Ministry of Education and Researchrsquos National strategy on access to and sharing of research data (2017) 9 httpswwwforce11orggroupfairgroupfairprinciples10 SIOS Data Policy

Open access to data makes it easier to validate and assess findings as well as to use data in new ways Combining data facilitates more interdisciplinary research Open access to research data reduces duplication of effort increases efficiency and reduces environmental impacts Broader access to research data will strengthen the quality of research in Svalbard

Norwegian and international research policies7 emphasises that research data should be made openly accessible when no legitimate considerations prevent its accessibility or ldquoas open as possible as closed as necessaryrdquo8 This point is made in the Strategy for research and higher education in Svalbard in which the following Norwegian Government objective is expressed ldquoResearch communities active in Svalbard shall take the lead in moving towards shared research data and infrastructurerdquo

Strong metadata ie information about collection delinea-tion definition and other factors relevant for further use is a prerequisite for being able to find and interpret data It is therefore important that data producers are meticulous about standardising the methods and sharing metadata in a way that make data easier to use ideally in line with the FAIR- principles9 FAIR stands for findable accessible interoperable and reusable The concept interoperable entails that both data and metadata must be machine-readable and that a consist-ent terminology is used

The SIOS consortium has developed a data policy that is con-sistent with international principles including requirements for the availability and quality of metadata10 The members of SIOS which includes research conducted in Ny-Aringlesund and Svalbard will be obliged to comply with these principles Standardised metadata requirements should be established for all research in Ny-Aringlesund

Phot

o S

had

eacute B

arka

Mar

tin

s

3130

53 Sharing and development of research infrastructure

Coordination of infrastructure and logistical services is key to better utilisation of research infrastructure In Ny-Aringlesund the area available for new buildings is limited It is therefore

crucial that existing buildings are used efficiently The need of efficient use of existing buildings has resulted in joint services provided at the Marine Laboratory Zeppelin Observatory Climate Change Tower Gruvebadet Vaskeri Lab MS Teisten Light Sensitive Cabin and the newly established Terrestrial Laboratory (see Box 5)

SSF stimulates cooperation and collaborative efforts between all research communities in Svalbard and within all research disciplines SSF facilitates the RiS-portal (Box 2) for sharing information regarding research projects being conducted any-where in Svalbard including the four permanently manned research communities in Svalbard (Ny-Aringlesund Longyearbyen Barentsburg and Hornsund) The RiS-portal is a unique tool for information exchange and for enhancing cooperation and coordination

SSF administers the Svalbard Strategic Grant (SSG) pro-gramme This is a seed money program aimed at advancing coordination collaboration and data sharing between researchers working with Svalbard research as well as increas-ing cooperation and coordination between the four research communities in Svalbard

A Svalbard Science Conference ndash with the goal of stimulating and inspiring cooperation in and advancement of the research conducted in Svalbard was held for the first time in 2017 This conference gathered scientists experts and relevant key players needed to put Svalbard research in a global context The success of this first meeting has resulted in a plan to have this conference continue on a biennial basis This international conference strives to increase connectivity broadening the research network and bringing Svalbard research into a pan-Arctic setting

Action points

gt RCN in cooperation with SSF will continue and further develop SSG and RiS to support cooperation and coordination of research in Svalbard

gt RCN and SSF will establish the Svalbard Science Conference in cooperation with NPI and other relevant partners as an important arena for cooperation and dissemination of research in Svalbard

Box 5Shared infrastructure The Marine Laboratory is an experimental laboratory for research in marine ecology physiology and biochemistry as well as oceanography marine geology and ice physics The Marine Lab is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS and booking is done through the RiS-portal

The Zeppelin Observatory is an observatory for atmospheric research and monitoring The Observatory is part of a network of very important global observatories for atmospheric measurements and part of several regional and global monitoring networks The observatory is located at the mountain Zeppelinfjellet 475 masl The Zeppelin Observatory is owned and managed by the Norwegian Polar Institute

The Climate Change Tower (CCT) with a height of 32 m hosts many instruments mainly to investigate energy budgets in the Earth surface layer boundary layer dynamics and exchange fluxes at the atmospherendashland interface CCT is owned and managed by the CNR

Gruvebadet is an atmospheric laboratory and observatory located 1 km from the centre of Ny-Aringlesund The building currently hosts instrument for atmosphere and aerosol measurements Gruvebadet is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS

The Vaskeri Lab is an older building that consists of several rooms some of which can be used for common labs fex for environmental or terrestrial laboratory work and is perfect for work with soil sediments animal sampling etc Vaskeri Lab is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS

MS Teisten is a small work boat 31 feet long and equipped to do smaller scientific operations and surveys in Kongsfjorden and Krossfjorden MS Teisten is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS and booking can be done through RiS

The Terrestrial Laboratory (Veksthuset) is located in the middle of town and includes brand new dry and semi-wet lab facilities The labs are expected to be ready for use from summer 2019 The lab is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS

The Light Sensitive Cabin is located 25 km from the centre of Ny-Aringlesund and is specially designed to host instruments that require minimal light contamination The cabin has four domes on the roof is connected to high-speed internet and is insulated The light sensitive cabin is owned and managed by Kings Bay AS

In addition there are some smaller observatoriesplatforms run by various institutions located at the various buildings in Ny-Aringlesund that host instruments for long-term monitoring Several of these are available for other users by request to the owner

Terrestrial Laboratory Photo Susanne Wasa Hagen Kings Bay AS

2726

55 Making information available Making information available to others is essential to estab-lish communication among on-going projects and initiatives The RiS-portal is the important tool to register projects and to find information about activities in Ny-Aringlesund

The flagship programmes have created meeting places for the largest disciplines in Ny-Aringlesund that are important for network building and increasing collaboration

NySMAC has established an internal Project Information and Discussion (PID) forum to share information regarding planned activities These collaborative tools are used by NySMAC in between the semi-annual meetings

To improve dissemination of information relevant to all researchers planning or engaged in activities in Ny-Aringlesund NPI and Kings Bay AS will develop a dedicated and comprehensive web site for Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

Researchers and institutes are expected to

gt register Svalbard-based research projects in RiS and keep the information updated

gt become familiar with other relevant activities by using RiS

Action points

gt SSF will further develop RiS and continue their efforts to ensure that RiS is used by researchers as an attractive portal for information regarding research and opportunities for thematic collaboration and logistics cooperation in Svalbard

gt Development of a dedicated and comprehensive web site for Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

Developing shared thematic laboratories will improve the utilisation of the buildings in Ny-Aringlesund Being an attractive provider of research infrastructure requires effective profes-sional operations efficient utilisation and a realistic cost level For this approach to succeed it is important to develop the existing buildings in accordance with research needs and to facilitate professional joint services that researchers find attractive Ny-Aringlesunds scientific community should take part in the decisions regarding development of new joint services to ensure that they match research needs Norwayrsquos long-term ambition is to further develop thematically-based research infrastructure in Ny-Aringlesund

SIOS is an important tool for sharing and collaborating in the utilisation of Svalbardrsquos infrastructure Scientists conducting earth system research in Ny-Aringlesund are encouraged to become members of SIOS SIOS offers opportunities to access the memberrsquos infrastructure and data through regular strategic calls Access will be based on scientific excellence Applica-tions for access should be made through SIOS decisions will be made in collaboration with the member responsible for the specific infrastructure Research infrastructure includes physical spaces such as laboratories as well as scientific instruments samples data and e-infrastructure

The actors are encouraged to

gt coordinate their activities in Ny-Aringlesund with those of other institutions to optimize research infrastructure utilisation

gt make infrastructure available to others

gt become members of SIOS

gt collaborate and coordinate use of logistics services

Action points

gt Draw up a ldquogap- analysisrdquo for the development of new infrastructure

gt Create a cost-efficiency model for Ny-Aringlesund that includes development of joint research infrastructure

54 Radio silence Ny-Aringlesund is a radio silent area with the long-term goal to further minimize the emissions of electromagnetic (radio wave) pollution Some important sensing-instruments like the VLBI radio telescopes at Norways geodetic laboratory need radio silence to function optimally The General authorisations regulations in Norway (fribruksforskriften) which allows use without permit for common equipment is not valid for the frequencies 2 GHzndash32 GHz within a 20 km radius from Ny-Aringlesund Technology using the 2 GHzndash32 GHz frequency range requires application to the National Communications Authority (Nkom)

Upholding a pristine environment also includes avoiding electro- magnetic pollution Ny-Aringlesund is a unique location world-wide in having radio silence while also providing the infra-structure and logistical support necessary for large-scale research installations Consequently maintaining radio silence is a key priority and efforts to develop the infrastructure to conduct necessary measurements outside the protected frequency band should be intensified For research that requires use of the radio frequency range in question and that cannot be conducted elsewhere in Svalbard it is neces-sary to have overview of frequencies in use in Ny-Aringlesund The radio silence working group established under NySMAC is important in this context

Action points

gt All actors have to contribute to maintain radio silence and prioritise research that does not interfere with the radio silence

gt Develop good procedures and priorities for the use of technology with active transmitters

Norwegian Mapping Authoritys new geodetic observatory Photo Helge Tore Markussen NPI

2928

6 Open access to data

7 Report No 30 (2008ndash2009) to the Storting a white paper on research policy Meld St 18 (2012ndash2013) the white paper Long-term perspectives ndash knowledge provides opportunity Meld St 27 (2015ndash2016) a white paper on Norwayrsquos digital agenda the Ministry of Education and Researchrsquos National strategy on access to and sharing of research data (2017) the EU Commissionrsquos decision to make open data access the norm in the Horizon 2020 programme its ldquoGuidelines on FAIR Data Management in Horizon 2020rdquo its publication ldquoOpen Innovation Open Science Open to the world ndash a vision for Europerdquo and the European Research Area and Innovation Committeersquos Opinion on Open Research Data etc

8 Ministry of Education and Researchrsquos National strategy on access to and sharing of research data (2017) 9 httpswwwforce11orggroupfairgroupfairprinciples10 SIOS Data Policy

Open access to data makes it easier to validate and assess findings as well as to use data in new ways Combining data facilitates more interdisciplinary research Open access to research data reduces duplication of effort increases efficiency and reduces environmental impacts Broader access to research data will strengthen the quality of research in Svalbard

Norwegian and international research policies7 emphasises that research data should be made openly accessible when no legitimate considerations prevent its accessibility or ldquoas open as possible as closed as necessaryrdquo8 This point is made in the Strategy for research and higher education in Svalbard in which the following Norwegian Government objective is expressed ldquoResearch communities active in Svalbard shall take the lead in moving towards shared research data and infrastructurerdquo

Strong metadata ie information about collection delinea-tion definition and other factors relevant for further use is a prerequisite for being able to find and interpret data It is therefore important that data producers are meticulous about standardising the methods and sharing metadata in a way that make data easier to use ideally in line with the FAIR- principles9 FAIR stands for findable accessible interoperable and reusable The concept interoperable entails that both data and metadata must be machine-readable and that a consist-ent terminology is used

The SIOS consortium has developed a data policy that is con-sistent with international principles including requirements for the availability and quality of metadata10 The members of SIOS which includes research conducted in Ny-Aringlesund and Svalbard will be obliged to comply with these principles Standardised metadata requirements should be established for all research in Ny-Aringlesund

Phot

o S

had

eacute B

arka

Mar

tin

s

3130

55 Making information available Making information available to others is essential to estab-lish communication among on-going projects and initiatives The RiS-portal is the important tool to register projects and to find information about activities in Ny-Aringlesund

The flagship programmes have created meeting places for the largest disciplines in Ny-Aringlesund that are important for network building and increasing collaboration

NySMAC has established an internal Project Information and Discussion (PID) forum to share information regarding planned activities These collaborative tools are used by NySMAC in between the semi-annual meetings

To improve dissemination of information relevant to all researchers planning or engaged in activities in Ny-Aringlesund NPI and Kings Bay AS will develop a dedicated and comprehensive web site for Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

Researchers and institutes are expected to

gt register Svalbard-based research projects in RiS and keep the information updated

gt become familiar with other relevant activities by using RiS

Action points

gt SSF will further develop RiS and continue their efforts to ensure that RiS is used by researchers as an attractive portal for information regarding research and opportunities for thematic collaboration and logistics cooperation in Svalbard

gt Development of a dedicated and comprehensive web site for Ny-Aringlesund Research Station

Developing shared thematic laboratories will improve the utilisation of the buildings in Ny-Aringlesund Being an attractive provider of research infrastructure requires effective profes-sional operations efficient utilisation and a realistic cost level For this approach to succeed it is important to develop the existing buildings in accordance with research needs and to facilitate professional joint services that researchers find attractive Ny-Aringlesunds scientific community should take part in the decisions regarding development of new joint services to ensure that they match research needs Norwayrsquos long-term ambition is to further develop thematically-based research infrastructure in Ny-Aringlesund

SIOS is an important tool for sharing and collaborating in the utilisation of Svalbardrsquos infrastructure Scientists conducting earth system research in Ny-Aringlesund are encouraged to become members of SIOS SIOS offers opportunities to access the memberrsquos infrastructure and data through regular strategic calls Access will be based on scientific excellence Applica-tions for access should be made through SIOS decisions will be made in collaboration with the member responsible for the specific infrastructure Research infrastructure includes physical spaces such as laboratories as well as scientific instruments samples data and e-infrastructure

The actors are encouraged to

gt coordinate their activities in Ny-Aringlesund with those of other institutions to optimize research infrastructure utilisation

gt make infrastructure available to others

gt become members of SIOS

gt collaborate and coordinate use of logistics services

Action points

gt Draw up a ldquogap- analysisrdquo for the development of new infrastructure

gt Create a cost-efficiency model for Ny-Aringlesund that includes development of joint research infrastructure

54 Radio silence Ny-Aringlesund is a radio silent area with the long-term goal to further minimize the emissions of electromagnetic (radio wave) pollution Some important sensing-instruments like the VLBI radio telescopes at Norways geodetic laboratory need radio silence to function optimally The General authorisations regulations in Norway (fribruksforskriften) which allows use without permit for common equipment is not valid for the frequencies 2 GHzndash32 GHz within a 20 km radius from Ny-Aringlesund Technology using the 2 GHzndash32 GHz frequency range requires application to the National Communications Authority (Nkom)

Upholding a pristine environment also includes avoiding electro- magnetic pollution Ny-Aringlesund is a unique location world-wide in having radio silence while also providing the infra-structure and logistical support necessary for large-scale research installations Consequently maintaining radio silence is a key priority and efforts to develop the infrastructure to conduct necessary measurements outside the protected frequency band should be intensified For research that requires use of the radio frequency range in question and that cannot be conducted elsewhere in Svalbard it is neces-sary to have overview of frequencies in use in Ny-Aringlesund The radio silence working group established under NySMAC is important in this context

Action points

gt All actors have to contribute to maintain radio silence and prioritise research that does not interfere with the radio silence

gt Develop good procedures and priorities for the use of technology with active transmitters

Norwegian Mapping Authoritys new geodetic observatory Photo Helge Tore Markussen NPI

2928

6 Open access to data

7 Report No 30 (2008ndash2009) to the Storting a white paper on research policy Meld St 18 (2012ndash2013) the white paper Long-term perspectives ndash knowledge provides opportunity Meld St 27 (2015ndash2016) a white paper on Norwayrsquos digital agenda the Ministry of Education and Researchrsquos National strategy on access to and sharing of research data (2017) the EU Commissionrsquos decision to make open data access the norm in the Horizon 2020 programme its ldquoGuidelines on FAIR Data Management in Horizon 2020rdquo its publication ldquoOpen Innovation Open Science Open to the world ndash a vision for Europerdquo and the European Research Area and Innovation Committeersquos Opinion on Open Research Data etc

8 Ministry of Education and Researchrsquos National strategy on access to and sharing of research data (2017) 9 httpswwwforce11orggroupfairgroupfairprinciples10 SIOS Data Policy

Open access to data makes it easier to validate and assess findings as well as to use data in new ways Combining data facilitates more interdisciplinary research Open access to research data reduces duplication of effort increases efficiency and reduces environmental impacts Broader access to research data will strengthen the quality of research in Svalbard

Norwegian and international research policies7 emphasises that research data should be made openly accessible when no legitimate considerations prevent its accessibility or ldquoas open as possible as closed as necessaryrdquo8 This point is made in the Strategy for research and higher education in Svalbard in which the following Norwegian Government objective is expressed ldquoResearch communities active in Svalbard shall take the lead in moving towards shared research data and infrastructurerdquo

Strong metadata ie information about collection delinea-tion definition and other factors relevant for further use is a prerequisite for being able to find and interpret data It is therefore important that data producers are meticulous about standardising the methods and sharing metadata in a way that make data easier to use ideally in line with the FAIR- principles9 FAIR stands for findable accessible interoperable and reusable The concept interoperable entails that both data and metadata must be machine-readable and that a consist-ent terminology is used

The SIOS consortium has developed a data policy that is con-sistent with international principles including requirements for the availability and quality of metadata10 The members of SIOS which includes research conducted in Ny-Aringlesund and Svalbard will be obliged to comply with these principles Standardised metadata requirements should be established for all research in Ny-Aringlesund

Phot

o S

had

eacute B

arka

Mar

tin

s

3130

6 Open access to data

7 Report No 30 (2008ndash2009) to the Storting a white paper on research policy Meld St 18 (2012ndash2013) the white paper Long-term perspectives ndash knowledge provides opportunity Meld St 27 (2015ndash2016) a white paper on Norwayrsquos digital agenda the Ministry of Education and Researchrsquos National strategy on access to and sharing of research data (2017) the EU Commissionrsquos decision to make open data access the norm in the Horizon 2020 programme its ldquoGuidelines on FAIR Data Management in Horizon 2020rdquo its publication ldquoOpen Innovation Open Science Open to the world ndash a vision for Europerdquo and the European Research Area and Innovation Committeersquos Opinion on Open Research Data etc

8 Ministry of Education and Researchrsquos National strategy on access to and sharing of research data (2017) 9 httpswwwforce11orggroupfairgroupfairprinciples10 SIOS Data Policy

Open access to data makes it easier to validate and assess findings as well as to use data in new ways Combining data facilitates more interdisciplinary research Open access to research data reduces duplication of effort increases efficiency and reduces environmental impacts Broader access to research data will strengthen the quality of research in Svalbard

Norwegian and international research policies7 emphasises that research data should be made openly accessible when no legitimate considerations prevent its accessibility or ldquoas open as possible as closed as necessaryrdquo8 This point is made in the Strategy for research and higher education in Svalbard in which the following Norwegian Government objective is expressed ldquoResearch communities active in Svalbard shall take the lead in moving towards shared research data and infrastructurerdquo

Strong metadata ie information about collection delinea-tion definition and other factors relevant for further use is a prerequisite for being able to find and interpret data It is therefore important that data producers are meticulous about standardising the methods and sharing metadata in a way that make data easier to use ideally in line with the FAIR- principles9 FAIR stands for findable accessible interoperable and reusable The concept interoperable entails that both data and metadata must be machine-readable and that a consist-ent terminology is used

The SIOS consortium has developed a data policy that is con-sistent with international principles including requirements for the availability and quality of metadata10 The members of SIOS which includes research conducted in Ny-Aringlesund and Svalbard will be obliged to comply with these principles Standardised metadata requirements should be established for all research in Ny-Aringlesund

Phot

o S

had

eacute B

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Mar

tin

s

3130

Sammendrag

Maringl

gt Verdensledende forskning

gt Baeligrekraftig forskningsproduksjon

gt Aringpen tilgang til data

Forskningsstasjonen Ny-Aringlesund er en unik plattform for internasjonal forskning og overvaringking i Arktis Stasjonen er en av verdens nordligste med helaringrsbemanning og er en viktig node for internasjonal forskning og overvaringking innen klima og miljoslash Institusjoner fra mange land har langsiktig forsknings- og overvaringkingsaktivitet i Ny-Aringlesund Det er utviklet et godt og utpreget samarbeid paring stasjonen gjennom samarbeids-forumet Ny-Aringlesund Science Managers Committee (NySMAC) og tematiske flaggskipprogrammer

Forskningsraringdet har paring oppdrag fra Regjeringen utviklet den foslashrste forskningsstrategien for forskningsstasjonen Ny-Aringlesund Oppdraget var varslet i Stortingsmeldingen for Svalbard (Stmeld 32 (2015-2016)) og skal foslashlge opp Svalbard-politikken og bidra til blant annet aring styrke den norske vertskapsrollen

Strategi for forskning og hoslashyere utdanning (2018) gir de overordnede rammene for forskningsstrategien for Ny-Aringlesund Forskningsstasjonen Ny-Aringlesund skal benyttes til naturvitenskapelig forskning i verdensklasse forskningen skal utnytte stedets saeligregenheter og hensynet til miljoslashet skal ivaretas For aring sikre bedre ressursutnyttelse og bedre tilrettelegging for forskning av hoslashy kvalitet skal forskningsinfrastrukturen paring sikt utvikles slik at den blir mer tematisk basert og at det legges enda mer til rette for samarbeid Norsk Polarinstitutt er vertskap i Ny-Aringlesund og har ansvaret for aring implementere og foslashlge opp strategien lokalt Strategien vil bli oppdatert ved behov

Forskningsstrategien for Ny-Aringlesund stoslashtter opp under det gode samarbeidet verktoslashyene som er etablert kvalitets-forskningen og den unike infrastrukturen i Ny-Aringlesund

Det er forskningsmiljoslashene som i praksis maring bidra til at maringlene i strategien narings Dette setter klare forventninger til aktoslashrene som bla maring

gt bidra til aring sikre at forskningsprosjektene er kvalitetssikret

gt publisere i fagfellevurderte aringpne tidsskrifter paring engelsk

gt sette forskningen naringr mulig i en stoslashrre pan-arktisk

eller global sammenheng

gt bidra til rekruttering ved aring inkludere

master- og PhD-studenter i prosjektene

gt holde seg oppdatert om andres aktivitet samarbeide

og bidra til aring unngaring overlapp

gt bidra til aring opprettholde lange tidsserier

gt registrere prosjektene i portalen Research in Svalbard (RiS)

og holde informasjonen oppdatert

gt bidra til aring optimalisere bruk av forskningsinfrastruktur og

gjoslashr infrastruktur tilgjengelig for andre naringr dette er mulig

gt vaeligre medlemmer i Svalbard Integrated Earth Observing

system (SIOS)

gt gjoslashre data og informasjon tilgjengelig

Viktige oppfoslashlgingspunkter for aring utvikle Ny-Aringlesund forskningsstasjon

gt Utvikle et integrert overvaringkingsprogram

gt Videreutvikle flaggskipprogrammene

gt Utarbeide en felles aringrsrapport for stasjonen

gt Utvikle klare retningslinjer for kursvirksomhet

paring master- og PhD-nivaring

gt Utarbeide en gapanalyse for ny forskningsinfrastruktur

gt Videreutvikle portalen Research in Svalbard (RiS)

Ansvaret for aring foslashlge opp ligger hos Norsk Polarinstitutt med mindre annet er nevnt spesielt i oppfoslashlgingspunktene

VISION

Ny-Aringlesund ndash den fremste forskningsstasjonen for arktisk naturvitenskapelig forskning

Researchers and institutes present in Ny-Aringlesund are expected to

gt have a data management plan associated with all research projects

gt prepare research data for further use (including metadata) in line with the FAIR principles and store them securely at their own institution or in national or international archives and databases

gt make research data and metadata available as quickly as possible and at lowest possible cost while maintaining the right of the individual researcher for exclusive utilisation of their data for a limited time

gt publicise a short popular science presentation of ongoing and completed projects in Ny-Aringlesund in the RiS-portal

gt encourage institutions to develop their own policies and guidelines for safe storage and management of and improved accessibility to research data

Action point

gt Establish common routines for data management in Ny-Aringlesund including

ndash maintaining the right of the individual researcher for exclusive utilisation of their data for a limited time

ndash common standards for ensuring strong metadata that applies to all Researchers and institutes in Ny-Aringlesund

Weather station at Kronebreen Photo Helge Tore Markussen NPI

3332

Phot

o H

elge

Tor

e M

arku

ssen

N

PI

3534

copy The Research Council of Norway 2019 Visiting address Drammensveien 288 The Research Council of Norway POBox 564 NO-1327 Lysaker

Telephone +47 22 03 70 00 Telefax +47 22 03 70 01 postrcnno wwwrcnno

The report can be ordered and downloaded at wwwforskningsradetnopublikasjoner

Graphic design Miksmaster Creative Photo cover Helge Tore Markussen NPI Printing 07 Media AS Number of copies 300

Oslo May 2019 ISBN 978-82-12-03760-1 (printed version) ISBN 978-82-12-03761-8 (pdf)

Phot

o H

elge

Tor

e M

arku

ssen

N

PI

3534

copy The Research Council of Norway 2019 Visiting address Drammensveien 288 The Research Council of Norway POBox 564 NO-1327 Lysaker

Telephone +47 22 03 70 00 Telefax +47 22 03 70 01 postrcnno wwwrcnno

The report can be ordered and downloaded at wwwforskningsradetnopublikasjoner

Graphic design Miksmaster Creative Photo cover Helge Tore Markussen NPI Printing 07 Media AS Number of copies 300

Oslo May 2019 ISBN 978-82-12-03760-1 (printed version) ISBN 978-82-12-03761-8 (pdf)

copy The Research Council of Norway 2019 Visiting address Drammensveien 288 The Research Council of Norway POBox 564 NO-1327 Lysaker

Telephone +47 22 03 70 00 Telefax +47 22 03 70 01 postrcnno wwwrcnno

The report can be ordered and downloaded at wwwforskningsradetnopublikasjoner

Graphic design Miksmaster Creative Photo cover Helge Tore Markussen NPI Printing 07 Media AS Number of copies 300

Oslo May 2019 ISBN 978-82-12-03760-1 (printed version) ISBN 978-82-12-03761-8 (pdf)